Former England cricketer Darren Gough and his dance partner Lilia Kopylova have reunited two decades after their triumphant victory on the first series of Strictly Come Dancing. Gough, who was a 35-year-old Essex bowler at the time, famously beat Olympic sprinter Colin Jackson and DJ Zoe Ball to win the glitterball trophy in 2005.
Speaking after the final, Gough paid tribute to Kopylova, saying: 'She has turned me into some sort of dancer. I cannot believe I had the confidence to do that tonight. I could not have wished for a better partner.' Phil Meacham from the Chelmsford Dance Centre, who was in the audience, described the atmosphere as 'absolutely electric'.
Meacham noted that Gough was 'genuinely shocked' by his win, adding: 'He was so humble and surprised that he'd won. He didn't expect to get this far, he didn't expect to get off the starting blocks in this competition and he's won it!'
Addressing critics who felt Jackson or Ball were better dancers, Meacham argued: 'The person who wins this competition doesn't have to be the best dancer, they have to look like the best dancer. Darren looked like the best dancer, he did all the right things.' He attributed Jackson's loss to a risky freestyle routine that went wrong.
The show sparked a surge in interest in ballroom dancing, particularly among men. Meacham reported that the number of boys taking up dancing had increased, with Gough's success making it 'incredibly fashionable for men, young men, hunky men, strong men to be able to dance'. Essex Cricket Club even explored a tie-in with dancing after Gough said he felt fitter than usual.
