What really drives the Strictly 'curse' as Tasha Ghouri 'eats her words'

As the famous Strictly 'curse' strikes again with news of Love Islanders Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page's split, The Mirror takes a look at why the dance competition has driven many previous romances apart

We've seen it many times before: celebrities go on Strictly Come Dancing in loved-up relationships but split soon after the show.

Since it first aired 20 years ago, the BBC dance competition has endured its fair share of controversies, and many scandalous romances have blossomed from the series. Competing in the programme seems to have caused rifts between contestants and their partners, ultimately causing them to break up - leading to the 'Strictly curse' nickname.

The curse refers to the trend of celebrities and dance professionals upheaving their personal lives after or during the show. In some cases, new relationships have blossomed between pros and their dance partners—take Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg and Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton in 2018. But what ignites this close bond? As news breaks that Strictly 2024 finalist Tasha Ghouri has split from her boyfriend Andrew Le Page, The Mirror takes a look...

Strictly is a potent mix of multiple factors that can lead to even the strongest of relationships crumbling, according to sex and relationships expert Jess Leoni. The expert at Illicit Encounters, a marital affairs site, previously told us that physical touch, a change of routine and attention are all catalysts when it comes to the famously named Strictly curse.

The dating expert explained: "Touch is such an important part of a relationship. It communicates emotions to others because it stimulates the production of oxytocin, sometimes known as the love hormone. And it's unavoidable on the dance floor. Added to that, each week dancers need to play characters which are always rooted in a story of love between the two. When you're playing that part week after week, it can feel utterly real in that moment and trick you into thinking you're in love."

As well as physical touch, a shake-up in routine can push people into believing they're in their own bubble, Jess said. "They forget about their normal lives. They disassociate. It causes them to be unable to relate to their partner as they're in such different parts of their lives. Which causes them to be distant and cracks to start to appear," she explained.

Attention is also a key component when it comes to the Strictly curse, and it's "been scientifically proven to be addictive", Jess said. She went on: "It's unavoidable on the dance floor. Dancers are spending well over 12 hours a day with their partners, they eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, practically living together. All the attention they'd usually get from their married partners shifts to being from their dance partners, which understandably causes couples to become increasingly confused about their emotions. It takes a very strong person to resist."

In 2007, dancer Flavia Cacace reportedly dumped her long-term dance partner and boyfriend of eight years, Vincent Simone, for EastEnders actor Matt Di Angelo. However, Matt and Flavia eventually split in 2010. Just months after competing in 2016, Louise Redknapp announced her split from Jamie after their long-term relationship deteriorated.

Katya Jones and Seann Walsh made headlines across the country when they were pictured kissing in the streets of London. At the time, Katya was married to fellow dancer Neil Jones, and Seann was dating actress Rebecca Humphries. Although they both apologised and said it was a "drunken mistake", Seann was publicly dumped and Katya and Neil parted ways.

Now, Love Island couple Tasha and Andrew have gone their separate ways after the model competed in the latest series of Strictly. The pair are said to have quietly split earlier this month and Tasha has since set up a dating app profile on Raya. A source told The Sun: "Tasha was madly in love with Andrew but the cracks started to show when she appeared on Strictly. She gave her all in that competition. Her focus was purely on her dances with Aljaz and that drove a wedge between them as time went by."

In an interview with The Sun back in September, Tasha declared that the so-called Strictly curse couldn't touch her, as she was already with the "hottest man on the planet". Tasha, who is set to head out on the UK tour this week, insisted: "Andrew, to me, is the hottest man on this whole planet. I look at him, and I'm like: 'Yeah, that's my man!' Me and Andrew trust each other 100 percent. It's not a make-or-break for us. We're going to breeze through this because we're going to marry each other one day, you know? It doesn't bother us at all. We didn't have a discussion about 'the Strictly curse' because we trust each other."

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