Louis Smith benefitted from being on the show. He recently pointed out that he got £600 prize money in a year for being one of the most successful gymnasts in the world.

His career in gymnastics from a very young age was very restricting on his development as a person IMO. I think he is a more complete person now and has been developing a successful career in several ways since Strictly. I don't think he can compete with those in the entertainment industry in terms of gaining the most, but I think he has gained in many other ways, apart from financially.

Lisa Riley's in the Daily Mail today looking fab after her six stone weight loss. I realise she puts her determined effort over the last year or so down to family member's health problems but Strictly did seem to help kickstart a lifestyle change for her. Well done Lisa.

Wow, that is pretty impressive. I see Vernon Kay also features in the sidebar of shame for all the wrong reasons.

Tom Chambers has done extremely well

Tess really does deserve better.

Yes, again. Feel for Tess and their daughters.

Yes, I am not her biggest fan but no-one deserves that if it is true.

Vernon has now pedalled out one of the worst excuses I've heard from a celeb.

However to reduce embarrassment to Tess I hope the story disappears quickly.

I hadn't realised he's aiming for Rio, hope he's selected I love watching Louis compete on the pommel horse as well as having been a big fan of him and Flavia on Strictly.

Trying to remember a funny quote of his I read where he was comparing preparing to dance and compete in gymnastics. Something about not being able to put on jazz hands, tits and teeth for the pommel horse

A number of Strictly alumni in the sidebar of shame this evening. There's Mark Wright also with alleged relationship or should that be social media woes (good to see Sean Ward looking happy in the Our Girl group shot with Michelle), DVO is back posing for swimsuit shots and Abbey's on her hols too!

* John Cleese voice ON * DON'T mention Sean Ward * John Cleese voice OFF

Wasn't DVO one of the women you suggested was a paragon of virtue where social media was concerned ?
As I recall you felt she never appeared except to promote some project - and yet here she is again posing for a professional photographer in another revealing outfit for no other reason than that she is on holiday with another new man.
To say your judgement is somewhat questionable is to be very kind.

I think you will find that was me, not Ochre.

(And to be fair to me I wasn't holding her up as a paragon of anything, just saying that since she has had nothing to sell or promote, she seems to be able to leave work and walk down the street unhindered. If she is now doing variations on the frolicking in the surf, then I assume this means she now has something to shill. Also, I think you'll find it was her ex husband she was with, not a new man. I love the Sidebar of Shame )

DVO does shamelessly promote products all over her social media, but I don't think she was posing for a professional photographer, it looks more like her boyfriend took the photo in the garden of their hotel.

Then again, a few pages ago you were saying how Georgia and Giovanni hadn't posted any photos of themselves in swimming costumes or mentioned the name of their hotel for publicity, both of which they have done several times since, so maybe noone's judgement is perfect.

The swimsuit photo is one she tweeted (so would have been a non-pap one). That being said, she must have known it would have been picked up on by the media. It looks oddly inappropriate next to the one of her ex with their daughter (which is a typical family snap), and seems to have been taken/tweeted with the sole purpose of promoting the swimsuit designer/retailer.

Yes, I think DVO is quite happy to appear in the DM Sidebar of Shame. I don't actually follow her on Twitter/Instagram, but from a quick glance at her account a lot of her posts seem to be promoting retailers/designers/hotels, presumably in exchange for free clothes/holidays etc. It's a bit much for me, but she obviously has a lot of followers who are happy with all her advertising.

As I said, she obviously has something to shill. It's amazing how celebs far higher up the celebrity ladder can go on holiday unhindered, but they probably aren't that interested in hashtagging their beachwear or destinations.

Any celeb who knows that their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever is mined as a source for the SoS (and the sister journals like OK/Now/Hello and the like) and yet keeps on posting the fodder is as media and PR savvy as everyone else that does it. No one is better than anyone else.

Well actually it was both - ex and new man !
I went and looked at what you all call the 'side bar of shame' having been alerted to it by Ochre.

Apologies - profound at that - to Ochre if indeed it was not her extolling the virtues of DVO - who appears to have nothing at all to sell but herself - yet again !

Do people really buy stuff or go on holiday to places just because a celeb has hashtagged it? I mean DVO's swimwear is nice and all - but it's a bit much for Cleethorpes. Apart from the fact you'd be a fetching blue colour should the urge to have a frolic in the mouth of the Humber take you - you'd probably terrify Kevin-from-Grimsby to boot.

I am not sure your assertion that celebs higher up the fame ladder go on holiday unhindered is correct - It seems most of the Hollywood Super Stars are regularly snapped on a beach or walking down the street with a cup of coffee etc.
The stalking is no doubt fuelled by public interest in them - surely tabloids feature people who they think their readership want to hear about and the money that generates from the advertising on their web sites and in their papers.
You really can't blame minor celebs with not many job prospects cashing in on promoting clothes, make up and the like. It must be very tempting !

I get your meaning. I stand by what I said and was pleased to see another this morning, it looks like they're having a great time whilst filming. However with the sound of John Cleese ringing in my ears I shall say no more

Regarding DVO I remember Aggs mentioning her and I think I did comment as well, along the lines of she chooses when to publicise herself and her personal life but can also stay out of the media when she wants to.

The swimsuit shot is very posed and in typical DVO style the cossie is low cut animal print so although the DM have informed me where to buy it I don't think I will

She's with Lee and their gorgeous daughter who has her Daddy's hair!

I personally wouldn't buy something because a Celeb hashtagged it, but presumably companies think it has some effect as they all seem to be at it. The fact that people from TOWIE have their own fragrances and clothing lines suggests there are some 'unusual' consumers out there. I've never understood what goes on in the minds of advertising/PR people - I don't see anyone over the age of about 12 with a positive word to say about Cheryl FV for example, but L'oreal still has her in their adverts

Certainly not mine - but then again I don't mind a few holiday snaps and selfies from a couple obviously enjoying a fantastic holiday - at least GG didn't jet off to one of the usual celeb resorts to pose by appointment for a professional photographer, (paid for by the resort and the magazine involved) which I guess you would find more typical of the sort of self promoting celeb you dislike so much.

Hear hear, and I'm rather shameless about it

But you can't condem one for doing it - like your comment on DVO only having herself to sell did rather - and not anyone else that does it. They are all pretty much of a muchness.

As for celebs higher up the ladder - I think there is a definite pecking order. I imagine that the like of Now/Hello/the SoS would far rather fill their column inches with the likes of Halle Berry or Gywneth Paltrow in a swimming cossie - but if all they can get is an ex-Strictly or Big Brother or TOWIE then that's what they have to go with. Should David Tennant happen to break the seeming habit of a lifetime and go for a frolic in his speedos for their benefit, then I would wager the Mark Wright sobbing into his cappuccino story would be bumped back to another day.