Stacey Dooley has become one of the BBC’s most popular documentary presenters and has also been crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing, but what do we know about her life away from the TV cameras?
Stacey Dooley(Image: Ian West/PA Wire)
Stacey Dooley
The renowned documentary-maker is gracing our screens once again tonight on BBC One’s quiz show Blankety Blank.
Best known for her hard-hitting social-issue documentaries on the BBC, the Luton-born journalist initially rose to fame in the 2008 documentary series Blood, Sweat and T-shirts, which followed six fashion enthusiasts to India to explore the origins of their clothing.
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Her popularity soared when she took to the dance floor on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, not only winning the glitterball trophy but also finding romance with her dance partner Kevin Clifton.
Now a mother and an MBE recipient for her contributions to broadcasting, Stacey’s life off-camera is just as intriguing.
Let’s delve into her challenging upbringing, her relationship with Kevin Clifton, and the controversy that led to one of her documentaries being removed from BBC iPlayer.
Stacey Dooley on growing up in poverty
Growing up in Luton, Stacey faced adversity early on when her father left the family when she was just two. In her autobiography, Stacey reflects: “My father had his demons; our relationship was difficult and fractured.”
“But I don’t ever think: ‘poor me’, I just feel blessed that I had my mother. She was such a great mum.”
Stacey’s mum, Diane Niblock, previously revealed that her ex attempted to re-enter Stacey’s life ‘in a more meaningful way’ when she was 13, but it was ‘too late for them to reconcile’.
Stacey lost her father in her early twenties. She has also openly discussed her experiences of growing up in poverty.
In her book, Stacey shares that her family was relocated into council housing from a squalid bedsit after her mum sent a photo of her in a nappy holding a mouse to the council.
She has confessed to shoplifting and dating a drug dealer in the past. Speaking to the Mirror, she said: “A boy I went about with was heavily involved with dealing coke. I remember going into his room one day and there were scales out and he was bagging it up.”
However, Stacey has never taken drugs herself. She added: “Drugs were always available when I was growing “I could drink loads when I was younger – and smoke loads of fags, but I’ve never, ever done gear.
Stacey Dooley’s relationship with Kevin Clifton
Stacey publicly confirmed she was in a relationship with her former Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Kevin Clifton in July 2019 – six months after the show concluded – having kept quiet about the relationship rumours.
Just three months prior, Stacey had ended her long-term relationship with Sam Tucknott, while Kevin was recovering from a divorce from ex-wife and fellow Strictly star Karen Hauer.
A furious Sam alleged he discovered affectionate messages between Stacey and Kevin Clifton on her phone while they were emptying their flat post-breakup.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton struck up a romance after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018(Image: 2022 Getty Images)
Speaking to The Sun, he recounted: “I was getting my stuff to leave. Stacey was in the loo. Her phone went and it was Kevin Clifton – ‘I love you’ with a red love heart.”
He condemned Kevin as “an absolute rat” and dubbed him a “slippery, slimy snake”.
Stacey has consistently refuted any overlap between her relationships with Sam and Kevin. She issued a statement on Twitter saying: “Anyone with any adult life experience knows there are 2 sides to every story. I haven’t got the time or energy to correct some of the utter nonsense I’ve read on here. Re Sam, I loved him v much and only wish him happiness and success going forward.”
Stacey and Kevin have been an item for four years now and celebrated the arrival of their first child, daughter Minnie, in January 2023. Discussing her relationship with Kevin on BBC Radio 5’s Headliners podcast, Stacey expressed: “I didn’t want to be such a cliché – it’s so cringe and cheesy. I want to be cooler than this. He is an angel. He is the kindest man I’ve met.”
She recently opened up about the prospect of tying the knot with her partner, saying: “Marriage has never been massively important to me. Also, it’s well-documented that Kev’s done it a couple of times before,” referring to Kevin’s previous marriages to Anna Melnikova, Clare Craze, and Karen Hauer.
“So, you do have to bear that in mind, coming down the aisle like, ‘Hello everyone, I know what you’re all thinking’. It’s just never been something I’ve dreamt about. But I couldn’t have done this (motherhood) without Kev. It’s weird. I’ve always loved him, but it’s a different love I have for Kev now.”
She continued: “I don’t subscribe to the idea that you offer more stability if you’re married because we know loads of marriages end in divorce. But Kev, I don’t want to sound too gushing or soppy, but I couldn’t have done this without Kev. I couldn’t have done this with anyone else.”
Stacey Dooley’s documentary was removed from iPlayer
Stacey faced backlash in January 2019 after she was accused of misrepresenting a Turkish woman as a Syrian sex worker in Istanbul in her series Sex in Strange Places. The controversial episode was subsequently taken down from BBC iPlayer.
In August 2019, Stacey once again sparked controversy by referring to a Muslim prayer gesture as ‘an IS salute’ in a Panorama documentary on IS brides. A BBC spokesperson confirmed that this segment had been taken out of the documentary, and the teaser trailer had been edited.
