Strictly fans won't need any prompting when it comes to the answer to the question, "who is Craig Revel Horwood" but behind the façade of his no-nonsense judging exterior, there is a lot to know.
The 57-year-old has already had an interesting life including an 8-year marriage to a woman who he says 'left him', a successful career that began in his birthplace of Australia and a finance whom he met on Tinder.
There's also a lot to come, he revealed.
An insight into his life, reported by My London, makes interesting reading.
While best known for being Strictly Come Dancing’s in-house pantomime villain/judge, who is hard to impress and known to speak his mind, the dance experience has a number of years experience to draw upon as an established professionally trained dancer and choreographer.
A member of the judging panel since the BBC show began in 2004, Craig has amassed a dedicated fan base who love to learn details of his life. It’s no surprise that Craig is strict about the rules as a judge on Strictly , as he has
Born in Ballarat, Australia, in 1965, he started his career as a dancer in Melbourne, but made the decision to move to London to develop his skills as a performer.
In his autobiography, Craig revealed that his love of performing was established at an early age, and at the age of 17 he made money appearing as a drag queen in bars and clubs.
In terms of his life away from the world of TV, Craig has had a number of relationships over the years. Between 1990 and 1992, he was married to a woman called Jane Norwood who left him for another man.
Speaking to OK! Magazine he said: “I was bisexual for a long time. I flitted between men and women quite a lot between the ages of 17 and 26. My wife Jane left me for another man. Then I fell in love with a bloke. I have been gay ever since.”
In his autobiography, All Balls and Glitter: My Life, the Strictly judge added: "Jane had in fact thought I was gay when we first met. At the beginning of 1990, Jane and I became an item. We resided in a one-bedroom flat in Crouch End, which was very romantic – a bit like Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in Barefoot in the Park.
"I loved her zany qualities, her appreciation for the arts, her outgoing nature, her ability to converse with anybody, her strength, her passion – even her Welsh accent."
As for Craig’s other ex partners, in 2013 he announced he was in a relationship with Britain's Got Talent contestant Damon Scott. Puppeteer Damon became a sensation in 2007 after performing his 'Monkey Man' routine on BGT, and he even reached the final of the talent show. The couple were together for three years, but sadly split in 2016.
Since 2018 Craig has been in a relationship with his now fiancé, the horticulturist Jonathan Myring. The pair met on Tinder and got engaged in Tasmania .
On his relationship with Jonathan, Craig said: “There’s such comfort in knowing you have somebody that loves you and wants to spend the rest of their life with you. I feel like I have someone who has my back and I’ve got theirs.”
Although Craig’s life and career has been star-studded, he has faced his fair share of struggles. In 2015, Craig revealed the pressures of being a young dancer affected his self-esteem and he suffered from anorexia and body dysmorphia as a teenager. “I was constantly comparing myself to other dancers,” Craig said. “I ended up anorexic for about four years.”
Speaking on ITV's This Morning about his new solo tour, Craig said: "It is going to be so much fun, and they'll get to know a very, very different me."
The 2022 tour heads to Birmingham's The Alexandra on Thursday, May 26, 2022. He is also appearing at the Victoria Hall in Stoke-on- Trent on Friday, April 29, 2022.
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