Strictly’s Kevin Clifton uncovers family scandal in Who Do You Think You Are?

Ballroom dancing has given Kevin Clifton fame, fortune and even family thanks to his romance with Strictly Come Dancing partnerStacey Dooley– the couple’sbaby girl Minnie was born in January this year .

But there was a time when Kevin rebelled against the strict nature of ballroom and posed as a “bad boy”, even dressing as a goth as he searched to find himself beyond the sequins.

So when he was offered the opportunity to take part in Who Do You Think You Are?, Kevin jumped at the chance to learn more about his identity and find a legacy he could one day share with his daughter.

“I’ve been interested in identity for a while,” explains Kevin, 40. “My mum and dad were dancers, me and my sister became dancers and that was our identity. We’re a dancing family, we go to competitions, we behave and dress in a certain way, you’re in front of an audience and judges… At some point I just rebelled against all of it.”

Kevin grew his hair, wore leather trousers and painted his fingernails black. “I was like, ‘You better get used to my leather trousers!’” he laughs. “It was just me trying to be something different. It was like this other identity.”

When Strictly came calling in 2013 he embraced his showbiz persona, but during the Covid pandemic and lockdown he relaxed long enough to realise all he wanted was a cup of tea, football on the telly and a family with partner Stacey Dooley.

“It was the first time in my life where I wasn’t in front of an audience,” smiles Kevin. “It turns out I’m a bit boring! A cup of tea and Match Of The Day is pretty much all there is to it. Then Who Do You Think You Are? came along and it was like, ‘Wow I’m actually going to find out something real about my family history and I’m praying that it’s not just all about dancing.’”

Kevin’s genealogy journey took him to Canada just after he and Stacey, 36, found out they were going to become parents. So Kevin set off determined to find out more for his unborn child.

“We found out Stacey was pregnant just before we started filming,” shares Kevin. “It was very much on my mind that as I’m finding out about all these past generations, we’re creating the next generation.”

What Kevin discovered in Canada stunned him. His journey took him to an orphanage in British Columbia where his great-great-grandmother Grace had been left aged seven with her two younger siblings by her father after he divorced their mother for adultery. The court action had been a scandal of the day, with Kevin’s great-great-great grandfather John Joshua Russell having married Kevin’s great-great-great grandmother Grace Gorridge when he was 40 and she was just 16. After three children he divorced her on grounds of adultery and admitted “blackening her eyes” in court – but denied he’d chased her with an axe.

“Divorce didn’t happen very often so it would have been big news in the area and the newspapers at the time,” says Kevin.

“It felt like all the good stuff was about the women and all the bad stuff was about men. There’s this history of generations of men not behaving great towards the women. What I hope is that the resilience of these women has been passed down through the generations. I’m quite a resilient person and I hope I can pass that on to Minnie.”

Another strong Canadian woman was his five times great-grandmother Nancy, whose real name was Matooski – a First Nations Chipewyan woman who survived her boat being wrecked in the Canadian Dalles des Morts (death rapids). Just one of her seven children survived with her. If they had perished along with their siblings, Kevin wouldn’t have been born.

Baby Minnie might only be six months old, but Kevin is already looking forward to showing her his episode of Who Do You Think You Are? – even though it contains more than a few skeletons.

“I’ve got all these role models, really strong women on my dad’s side now,” says Kevin. “It’s wicked that one day there’s going to be this film for Minnie to watch and she’s going to know that in her past there’s really tough women she can look up to.”

Learning more about the Clifton family tree has made Kevin and Stacey eager to add to it, and while it’s early days, they’re already talking about having another baby.

“Stacey’s already talking about Minnie needing a brother or a sister,” confides Kevin. “I can see us having more kids if we’re lucky enough and it happens for us, but Minnie is a handful as it is at the moment!”

There are two years between Kevin and his famous dancer sister Joanne Clifton, and he would like his own children to enjoy the same closeness.

“It’s the idea of them being a little gang and having each other’s backs,” grins Kevin. “Me and my sister are a little gang and have each other’s backs – that’s what we’d like for Minnie.”

Kevin and Stacey met in 2018 when they were paired up on Strictly. They won and at the end, Kevin broke down on live TV and thanked Stacey for making him fall in love with dancing again after a “difficult year” which had seen him split with his then wife and fellow Strictly star Karen Hauer.

Five years on and it’s not just dancing he’s in love with. In fact, he is the happiest he’s ever been.

“I’m really happy, says Kevin. “Me and Stace are really happy and we’ve just had a baby and that’s going really well. Yeah, I’m in a very grateful place at the moment.”

Professionally, things have fallen into place too. Kevin is starring in the stage show of Strictly Ballroom – a role he’s aspired to since he was just 10 years old.

“I just wanted to be Scott Hastings,” says Kevin. “I said to my mum and dad, ‘One day they’re going to put this on stage and I’m going to play Scott Hastings!’ I’m 40 now so it’s been 30 years but I finally get to do it!”

He’s loving the role, but it could be the last time he dances on stage. After a stellar career, Kevin is thinking of hanging up his sequins.

“I’ve been doing musical theatre and I really want to explore acting,” shares Kevin. “I’m 40 and dancing at the level that I want to dance is not going to last forever.”

Professionally, Kevin thinks his future lies in acting. Personally, it’s with Stacey and their young family. Next, he wants to take Stacey and his parents across the Atlantic to find out more about his Canadian heritage.

“I said to Stacey I’d love to take them over there and retrace the steps,” smiles Kevin. “Stacey laughs at me because I’m so extra with it. I’ve suddenly become Canadian. I’m supporting Canada in the World Cup. It’s pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast. Everything’s about Canada now for me!”

Kevin’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? is available to watch on Thursday 22 June at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Strictly Ballroom tours the UK until 15 July. For tickets and venues, visit strictlyballroomtour.co.uk

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