Lauren Oakley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lauren May Oakley 28 February 1991 Birmingham, England |
| Occupation(s) | Ballroom dancer, Latin dancer, choreographer |
| Known for | Burn the Floor Strictly Come Dancing |
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 .
Oakley was born on 28 February 1991 in Birmingham, England. [1] [2] She began dancing at the age of 2 and began competing in Ballroom and Latin dance at the age of 7. [1]
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. [3] 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. [4] [5] [6] and has starred in Pernice's solo tour This Is Me. [7] [8]
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. [9] Upon her appointment as a professional, Oakley said "[She had] grown up watching Strictly, always hoping that one day [she] could be part of the best show on television, doing what [she loves] 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." [1] [10] 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 7th week, standing in for an ill Amy Dowden. [11] 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. [12] The couple reached the final, but ultimately lost out to Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell.
| Series | Partner | Place | Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 8th | 26.4 |
| 22 | JB Gill | 2nd | 35.6 |
| 23 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 11th | 27.8 |
| Dance | Partner | Highest | Partner | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | ||||
| Argentine Tango | ||||
| Cha-cha-cha | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 25 | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 22 |
| Charleston | JB Gill | 39 | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 30 |
| Couple's Choice | JB Gill | 39 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink + Krishnan Guru Murthy | 29 |
| Foxtrot | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 20 | ||
| Jive | ||||
| Paso Doble | JB Gill | 39 | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 28 |
| Quickstep | JB Gill | 35 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 27 |
| Rumba | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 28 | ||
| Salsa | JB Gill | 40 | ||
| Samba | JB Gill | 40 | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 25 |
| Showdance | JB Gill | 39 | ||
| Tango | ||||
| Viennese Waltz | JB Gill | 40 | Krishnan Guru-Murthy | 27 |
| Waltz |
Celebrity partner: Krishnan Guru-Murthy
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores [a] | Total score | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha | "Boom Shack-A-Lak" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 22 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot | "Love Really Hurts Without You" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 20 | Safe |
| 3 | Charleston | "Money, Money" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 30 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble | "By the Way" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 28 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep | "The Lady Is a Tramp" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese waltz | "Kiss from a Rose" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 27 | Safe |
| 7 | Couple's Choice | "You Can Call Me Al" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 29 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba | "Bamboléo" | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 25 | Eliminated |
Celebrity partner: JB Gill
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores [a] | Total score | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Couple's Choice | "Uptown Funk", "Treasure", "24K Magic" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba | "Mas que Nada" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 | Safe |
| 9 | Quickstep | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 10 | Charleston Samba-a-thon | "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" "Conga" & "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 46 [b] | Safe |
| 11 | Viennese waltz | "Let's Go Fly a Kite" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 12 | Paso Doble Salsa | "Requiem for a Tower" "Red Alert" | 9 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | 39 40 | Safe |
| 13 | Viennese waltz Showdance Samba | "Let's Go Fly a Kite" "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" "Mas que Nada" | 10 9 10 | 10 10 10 | 10 10 10 | 10 10 10 | 40 39 40 | Runners-Up |
Celebrity partner: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores [a] | Total score | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quickstep | "Chelsea Dagger" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 25 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba | "No Time to Die" | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 28 | Safe |
| 4 | Couple's choice | "Rock It", "Follow the Leader" | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| 5 | American Smooth | "Purple Rain" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | Eliminated |
In October 2025, Oakley & Kai Widdrington announced they were to appear at "Dancing With The Stars Weekends" 2026. [13]