Who is Stefan Dennis? Meet Strictly Come Dancing 2025 contestant and soap legend
Stefan said goodbye to Ramsay Street and hello to the Strictly dancefloor.
Australian actor Stefan Dennis will be back on the dancefloor this week after an illness rendered him unable to perform in last week's live show.
In a statement posted to the official Strictly Instagram, the surprise news read: “Due to illness over the past few days, Stefan Dennis has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, he will not dance this weekend.
“In line with the rules of Strictly, Stefan and Dianne will receive a bye through to next week, when they will hopefully be able to dance again.”
Stefan impressed the judges in Week 1 and earned himself a score of 24, however in the following episode he failed to step up to mark and only scored a 17. The low points, combined with his inability to take part in Movie Week, sees Stefan currently sitting right at the bottom of the leaderboard. Let's hope he can pull it out of the bag this week.
The Neighbours legend is just one of the soap stars in this year's line-up, with others including Balvinder Sopal and Lewis Cope.
With the new season well and truly under way, just who exactly is Stefan Dennis? Keep reading to find out more about the actor as his Strictly journey gets underway.
Who is Stefan Dennis?
Age: 66
Job: Actor
Instagram: @stefandennis7
Partner: Dianne Buswell
Stefan Dennis is an Australian actor and singer, best known for portraying Paul Robinson on Neighbours since its inception in 1985.
He left the soap in 1992 before returning for a brief period a year later. He then reprised his role in 2004 and has played the character since - but this will come to an end later this year following Neighbours' cancellation on Amazon Freevee.
Dennis is no stranger to the British climate, having appeared in a number of plays and musicals in the UK for over a decade. It was through this he landed the role of Dr Marcus McKenzie in Scottish soap River City.
And while he may not be too seasoned on the dance floor, Dennis has quite the singing voice and released the single Don't It Make You Feel Good in 1989, which reached No. 16 in the UK Singles Chart.
Stefan Dennis's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week 1: Foxtrot (4+6+6+6) = 22
Week 2: Cha Cha (4+4+4+5) = 17
Week 3: Stefan did not perform due to illness
What is Stefan Dennis dancing to in Week 4 on Strictly?
Stefan and his partner Dianne Buswell will be performing a Charleston to Dance Monkey by Tones and I.
What has Stefan Dennis said about Strictly Come Dancing?
Dennis's casting was announced on This Morning, following on from Vicky Pattison's announcement earlier on in the episode.
The actor said of joining Strictly Come Dancing: "This is an opportunity for me to once again learn to step out of my comfort zone in the world of television. Looking forward to the sparkle and reaching for the sky."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 18th October at 6:30pm.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
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.
