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Lauren May Oakley (born 28 February 1991) is an English professional dancer and choreographer, best known for appearing as a professional on the BBC One television series Strictly Come Dancing.

Early life

Oakley was born on 28 February 1991 in Birmingham, England. She began dancing at the age of 2 and began competing in Ballroom and Latin dance at the age of 7.

Career

Oakley became Juvenile Champion at the Blackpool Dance Festival, winning across both Ballroom and Latin disciplines and also became Under 21 British National Champion before beginning a career on stage. She has toured the world as part of the live dance show Burn the Floor and has starred as the "leading lady" in the national tour Him & Me alongside Giovanni Pernice and Anton Du Beke. and has starred in Pernice's solo tour This Is Me.

Strictly Come Dancing

In July 2022, Oakley was announced to be joining the twentieth series of Strictly Come Dancing as a professional, along with Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu, and Michelle Tsiakkas. Upon her appointment as a professional, Oakley said " grown up watching Strictly, always hoping that one day could be part of the best show on television, doing what the most. Now that it’s happening, it doesn’t quite seem real. I can’t wait to start this new sequined adventure and join this incredible family." Oakley did not partner a celebrity for her first series, and instead took part in the professional group routines.

The following year, she was paired with presenter and journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy for the twenty-first series. They were eliminated in the eighth week of the competition after losing the dance off to Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington.

Oakley returned for the twenty-second series and did not receive a celebrity partner. She danced however, with JLS singer JB Gill in the show's seventh week, standing in for an ill Amy Dowden. The following Monday it was confirmed that Oakley would partner Gill for the remainder of the series, as Dowden withdrew from the series due to a foot injury. The couple reached the final, but ultimately lost out to Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell.

Series 21: with celebrity partner Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Series 22: with celebrity partner JB Gill

References

1. ^ "Four new pros join the show in 2022!". BBC. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
2. "Strictly Speaking! Week Four Review - with Lauren Oakley". UK podcasts. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
3. "20 professional dancers confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing series 20, as four new pros join the line-up". BBC. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
4. "Lauren Oakley at Burn the Floor". Retrieved 14 July 2022.
5. "Strictly Come Dancing Unveils Four New Professional Dancers". HuffPost. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
6. "New BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro Lauren Oakley has already danced with two former champions". Birmingham Mail. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
7. "Strictly's Giovanni Pernice pays tribute to his 'leading lady' after amazing news". 12 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
8. "Giovanni Pernice kisses new Strictly pro dancer as he brands her his 'leading lady'". Entertainment Daily. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
9. "Strictly Come Dancing reveals new professionals joining for 2022". Radio Times. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
10. "Strictly Come Dancing 2022: Meet the new Strictly professional dancers!". BBC. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
11. Bryant, Tom (28 October 2024). "Strictly star Amy Dowden pulls out of this week's show as BBC issue update". The Mirror. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
12. Grierson, Jamie (4 November 2024). "Injury forces dancer Amy Dowden to leave this year's Strictly". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 November 2024.

External links

• 1991 births
• Living people
• English female dancers
• British ballroom dancers
• 21st-century British dancers
• Entertainers from Birmingham, West Midlands