Strictly Come Dancing winner Kevin Clifton is apparently 'fuming' over his partnership with 60-year-old TV veteran Anneka Rice, according to The Sun.

Show insiders claim that the Grimsby-born dancer sees his celebrity dance pairing as a 'punishment' from BBC bosses for his relationship with Stacey Dooley.

Kevin and now-girlfriend Stacey had chemistry to burn last year, going on to win the entire competition in December before going public with their romance in March.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Stacey had been in a long-term relationship while she was competing on the show, and both herself and Kevin deny that any romance sparked before they took home the Glitterball trophy.

36-year-old Kevin believes bosses are 'putting the boot in' for the media furore following their romance and says they've 'sabotaged his dream' of winning wo years in a row, a source told The Sun;

"Kevin has told pals he would have preferred someone like Catherine Tyldesley or Alex Scott. He calls himself King Kevin and wanted to make Strictly history by winning back to back titles."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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They added; "But although Anneka is willing, her age and agility means he won’t be able to throw her around like he did previous partners."

Kevin and Anneka paired up on Saturday's launch, and The Challenge star admitted that she's never danced in public and was ruled out of a group dance after injuring herself during rehearsal.

The noticeable height difference between them was also commented on by viewers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Kevin has a great track record on the massively popular BBC dance contest, making the finals with every partner except Susan Calman.

Himself and Susanna Reid came in second during their time on the show, followed by Frankie Bridge, Kellie Bright and runner-up Louise Redknapp.

Kevin came in seventh place when partnered with comedian Susan two years ago, before winning the show with Stacey Dooley in 2018.

Feature image: Instagram/@editingstrictly