Strictly Come Dancing

Darren Bennett (born 14 February 1977) is a professional dancer. Him and his wife Lilia Kopylova has a successful career in professional latin dancing, competing nationally and internationally. They give private lessons in

their home studio at Sheffield, England. In November 2005 Darren and Lilia won the British Championships for Professional Latin, coming first in all five dances.

Darren is a down to earth, cheeky guy who loves his Northern roots. Darren and his partner and wife Lilia Kopylova, also appearing in Strictly Come Dancing, are currently ranked the number one British Latin American Couple.

Darren won series two of the show with Jill Halfpenny, but went out in the fourth week of series three with partner Gloria Hunniford.

Darren warns that the celebrity dancers should be under no illusions before entering the competition: "People need to be 100 per cent committed to doing this show and often people are quite shocked by the amount of work which is required.

"You need someone with the stamina to work hard for the four months and give it their all."

Performance on Strictly Come Dancing:

• Series 2 - won with actress Jill Halfpenny. 
• Series 3 - eliminated in week 3 with Gloria Hunniford. 
• Series 4 - third place with singer Emma Bunton. 
• Series 5 - fourth place with actress Letitia Dean.   
• Series 6 - will be dancing with actress Jessie Wallace