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Who is Lacey Turner? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2026 contestant and EastEnders actress
Will the EastEnders icon be able to get her hands on the Glitterball trophy?
BBC/Guy Levy
- Phoebe Kowhai Barnes
Published: Friday, 30 October 2026 at 12:10 pm
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Lacey Turner is back on the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor this weekend, as the EastEnders favourite is hoping to climb further up the leaderboard.
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Paired with professional partner Vito Coppola, so far the duo have received scores in the high 20s, often finding themselves safely in the middle of the leaderboard.
She and Vito will be performing a Charleston to Cheryl's Crazy Stupid Love, and the pressure is on to deliver another memorable performance to ensure they make it through to next week.
As we await the next live show, here's everything you need to know about Lacey Turner as she heads out once again onto the dancefloor.
Who is Lacey Turner?
Lacey Turner. BBC/Ray Burmiston
Age: 38
Job: Actress
Instagram: @laceyturner
Partner: Vito Coppola
Lacey Turner is an English actress best known for playing Stacey Slater in the long-running soap EastEnders. She joined the show in 2004 after initially auditioning for the role Demi Miller, but was instead offered the chance to play the new member of the established Slater family.
She was on the show for six years before leaving in 2010 but rejoined in 2014 for a further 11 years until 2025, when it was announced she would be departing the show again, with Stacey heading off to Brazil with her children to work in brother Sean's bar.
Over her two stints on EastEnders, Turner's character Stacey was involved in some pivotal story lines, including an affair with her father-in-law, the untimely death of her young husband and a murder at her own hand. Turner has won over 40 awards for her portrayal of the character, including four NTAs.
Outside of EastEnders, she is recognised for her role as Molly Dawes in BBC's Our Girl, a military drama about a young working-class woman who joins the British Army, a role she held for the feature-length pilot and the first season.
Lacey Turner's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week 1: Cha Cha (7 + 6 + 7 + 7 = 27)
Week 2: Quickstep (6 + 7 + 7 + 8 = 28)
Week 3: Samba (6 + 6 + 7 + 7 = 26)
Week 4: American Smooth (7 + 7 + 7 + 8 = 29)
Week 5: Tango (7 + 7 + 6 + 8 = 28)
What has Lacey Turner said about Strictly Come Dancing?
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola. BBC/Guy Levy
Lacey says she has "always wanted" to do Strictly but has "never been brave enough".
"A lot of my friends are physically fit, and they have been exhausted," she explained. "So, whilst I'm not working on EastEnders this year, I thought it might be a good time to do it because I'm not sure I am physically or mentally fit enough to do both jobs at the same time as well as run a household with three feral children!"
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 24 September at 6:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai BarnesFreelance Writer
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
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