Dancing all the way to the bank!

Forget the celebrities, the real ¸·Ì©¤Ë ¾¡Íø¼Ôs are the ºÛȽ´±s...


¸·Ì©¤Ë Come Dancing has trounced The X Factor in the ½µËö TV ratings war. Without Simon Cowell, ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ëing ¿Íʪ¡¿»Ñ¡¿¿ô»ús for ITV¡Çs singing contest have fallen by three million since last year.

But it¡Çs not just BBC À¸»º¼Ôs who are delighted with ¸·Ì©¤Ë¡Çs success. The show¡Çs ºÛȽ´±s ¡½ once ¿Æ² unknowns ¡½ also have much to celebrate. Len Goodman recently ǧ¤á¤ë he makes ¡Æ¥Þ¥ê¥Õ¥¡¥Ês of money¡Ç from his ½µ´©»ï trek to Los Angeles ¡½ where he¡Çs Ĺ¡¤Î¨¤¤¤ë ºÛȽ´± on Dancing With The À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ës ¡½ and »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë to London to À®¤·¿ë¤²¤ë the same Ìò³ä on ¸·Ì©¤Ë.

Here, NICOLE LAMPERT ¤³¤É¤âs up the ºÛȽ´±s¡Ç wealth...

Tango and cash: The Strictly judges, from left, Craig Revel Horwood, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, have made a fortune from the show

Tango and cash: The ¸·Ì©¤Ë ºÛȽ´±s, from left, Craig Revel Horwood, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, have made a fortune from the show

LEN GOODMAN

LIFE BEFORE STRICTLY: A former welder and talented footballer from London¡Çs East End, Len, 67, started ballroom dancing after a doctor ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ëd it could help with a football ½ý³². He turned professional and won the British ballroom Áª¼ê¸¢ with his then wife (he is ¸½ºß¡¿°ìÈÌ¤Ë on his third). He later »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë up several dance schools in Da rtford, Kent.

He almost turned É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë the ¿¦¶È on ¸·Ì©¤Ë because he thought it would mock dance. Instead, dance schools like his have never been busier.

Champion: Len in his heyday with partner Cherry Kingston

»Ù»ý¤¹¤ë¡¿Í¥¾¡¼Ô: Len in his heyday with partner Cherry Kingston

STRICTLY SALARY: All the ºÛȽ´±s started on just ¡ò17,000 ¡½ the same as the professional ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼s ¡½ when the programme began in 2004. But as the show grew in ¿Íµ¤, the ºÛȽ´±s fought for more money. Len, as Ĺ¡¤Î¨¤¤¤ë ºÛȽ´±, earns ¡ò90,000. There has not been such a Ë¡³°¤Ê rise in fortunes for the ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼s; several cullings have shown them no ¿¦¶È is °ÂÁ´¤Ê, and they get only ¡ò30,000 each.

Len makes his money through the U.S. ¸«²ò¡¿ËÝÌõ¡¿ÈÇ of the show (it runs from March to May and September to November), for which he is paid ¡ò250,000. He is also a Àµµ¬¤Î¡¿ÀµÁª¼ê on the month-long ¸·Ì©¤Ë Live ¾®Î¹¹Ô¤¹¤ë, ¼ýÆþ ¡ò40,000.

Then there are the hotel group Warners¡Ç ¸·Ì©¤Ë Come Dancing Breaks, where you can ²ñ¹ç¡¤²ñ¤¦ your favourite ºÛȽ´± and several ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼s, and learn ballroom dancing. For those, Len is paid ¡ò20,000.

Earlier this year he ǧ¤á¤ë he was ¡Æoverpaid¡Ç, Äɲ乤ëing: ¡ÆI get potloads of money. Too much, isn¡Çt it?¡Ç

STRICTLY BUSINESS: He has a DVD called Dance With Len Goodman (RRP ¡ò12.89) and an autobiography, Better Late Than Never: From Barrowboy To Ballroom (RRP ¡ò7.99), both of which still sell °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ. His celebrity status gives his dance schools a high profile. He has only one company ÅÐÏ¿¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd at Companies House ¡ ½ the Goodman Maxell ¶¦Æ± ¡½ but it has never Ëǰסʤ¹¤ë¡Ëd and is ¸ºß struck off at its own request.

STRICTLY OUTSIDE WORK: He lives mortgage-²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê in the same modest house he bought in 1996. He is married to ¹ðÁʤ¹¤ë, who is 20 years his junior, and has a grown-up son from his second marriage.

¤Ë¤â¤«¤«¤ï¤é¤º his ¼ýÆþs, he does not appear to have many celebrity trappings. He even ¼­Âह¤ës the BBC¡Çs ¿½¤·¹þ¤à¡¿¿½¤·½Ð of a car, preferring to get to the studio by bus. ¡ÆSitting there like Little Lord Fauntleroy. It¡Çs not my cup of tea,¡Ç he said.

ESTIMATED ANNUAL EARNINGS: ¡ò400,000.

CRAIG REVEL HORWOOD

LIFE BEFORE STRICTLY: Born in Melbourne, Australia, bisexual Craig¡Çs first career was as a drag artist in seedy nightclubs. He became a rent boy, ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë ¡ò100 an hour for his services, before trying his luck as a ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼ in London.

Working up the ³¬µés in the West End, he became a °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ-regarded ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬ choreographer with shows ´Þ¤àing West Ì£Êý¤¹¤ë Story and My One And Only. He choreographed the ³«»Ï of the 2002 Ϣˮ¡¿¶¦Ï¹ñ Games in Manchester.

Panto villain: This Christmas, Craig, left, will star in Snow White And The Seven Dwarves in Dartford with Ann Widdecome

Panto villain: This Christmas, Craig, left, will À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë in Snow White And The Seven Dwarves in Dartford with Ann Widdecome

STRICTLY SALARY: Craig, 46, earns ¡ò90,000 as a ºÛȽ´± for ¸·Ì©¤Ë. He was also a ºÛȽ´± on the New Zealand ¸«²ò¡¿ËÝÌõ¡¿ÈÇ of the show with ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼ Brendan Cole, but the spin-off ended in 2009; he earned around ¡ò60,000 for that.

He is a Àµµ¬¤Î¡¿ÀµÁª¼ê on the ¸·Ì©¤Ë Live ¾®Î¹¹Ô¤¹¤ë, and is choreographing the next one, netting him an extra ¡ò60,000. Like Len he appears on the Warners¡Ç ¸·Ì©¤Ë breaks for an extra ¡ò20,000.

Unlike Goodman, he often moans about his salary: ¡ÆLen says we¡Çre overpaid on ¸·Ì©¤Ë, but I can Êݾڤ¹¤ë him I¡Çm not. He¡Çs only Àâ that because of his U.S. ¹Ô¤¦.¡Ç

STRICTLY BUSINESS: Craig does not do too ÉÔÀµ¤Ë outside of the day ¿¦¶È. A big earner is panto, which he has been doing for the past three years.

This Christmas he will À®¤·¿ë¤²¤ë as the evil queen in Snow White in Kent, ¤È°ì½ï¤Ë his former ¸·Ì©¤Ë nemesis, former Tory Âç¿Ã Ann Widdecombe. He can ¿äÄꤹ¤ë¡¿Í½ÁÛ¤¹¤ë to earn around ¡ò30,000 for just over a month¡Çs work.

He has also written two ballroom dancing Ä´½ñ¤ò¤È¤ë¡¿Í½Ì󤹤ës ¡½ Teach Yourself Ballroom Dancing (RRP ¡ò5.99) and Learn Ballroom Dancing (RRP ¡ò10.99) ¡½ and has an autobiography called All Balls and Glitter: My Life (RRP ¡ò5.99).

Friends in high places: The judge has a laugh with the Duchess of Cornwall when she visited the show

Friends in high places: The ºÛȽ´± has a laugh with the Duchess of Cornwall when she visited the show

Craig enjoys ¸ºß a Àµµ¬¤Î¡¿ÀµÁª¼ê on celebrity shows such as Celebrity Masterchef, Daily Cooks and Would I ±³¡Ê¤ò¤Ä¤¯¡Ë To You?, bringing in an extra ¡ò15,000. You can ¸Û¤¦ him as a master of µ·¼°s, and he was the ľÌ̤¹¤ë of British Sausage Week last year, travelling the country to find its tastiest sausage.

He has one directorship, for a À¸»º¡¿»ºÊª company called »ÀÀ­¤Î Clutch À¸»º¡¿»ºÊªs. Earlier this year it Êó¹ð¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿²±Â¬d a Íø±×¡Ê¤ò¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ë of ¡ò46,674.

He continues to work on ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬ shows and recently choreographed a new À¸»º¡¿»ºÊª of Chess.

STRICTLY OUTSIDE WORK: He lives in a ¡ò700,000 house in Camden, North London, with partner ǧ¤á¤ë, a 30-year-old pharmacist.

ESTIMATED ANNUAL EARNINGS: ¡ò215,000.

ALESHA DIXON

LIFE BEFORE STRICTLY: Part of short-lived ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd Mis-Teeq, Alesha, 33, had been dropped by her µ­Ï¿¡¤µ­Ï¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µ­Ï¿¤¹¤ë label after Èá»´¤Ê ñÆȤΠsales when she agreed to be a celebrity contestant on the 2006 °ìÏ¢¤Î ¸·Ì©¤Ë.

Girl power: Alesha, left, started out in showbiz as a member of girl band Mis-Teeq

Girl ÎÏ¡¿¶¯ÎϤˤ¹¤ë: Alesha, left, started out in showbiz as a member of girl ¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd Mis-Teeq

Her talent shone through from the start ¡½ ¡¼¤Ë´Ø¤·¤Æ¡¿¡¼¤ÎÅÀ¤Çs of points, she remains the best ever contestant. By the time she had won, µ­Ï¿¡¤µ­Ï¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µ­Ï¿¤¹¤ë labels were clamouring to Ä´°õ¤¹¤ë her, and her next album, The Alesha Show, went platinum.

In 2009, ¤Þ¤Ã¤¿¤ÀÃæ¤Ë ÊúÍʤ¹¤ë ÏÀÁè, Alesha ¼è¤Ã¤ÆÂå¤ï¤ëd °æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ-º·É¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¦ÅÀd choreographer Arlene Phillips as a ºÛȽ´± on ¸·Ì©¤Ë.

STRICTLY SALARY: Thanks to rumoured Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ from other shows, such as The X Factor, Alesha is the highest paid ºÛȽ´±, on ¡ò100,000, ¤Ë¤â¤«¤«¤ï¤é¤º ¸ºß the least experienced. Outside of appearing on the show, she prefers to concentrate on her music career.

STRICTLY BUSINESS: After the success of The Alesha Show, her 2010 album was a ¼ºË¾. The ·Ýǽ¿Í only got to No?86 in the charts, and she was dropped by her µ­Ï¿¡¤µ­Ï¿Åª¤Ê¡¿µ­Ï¿¤¹¤ë label. She remains a sought-after ¾¦ÉÊ¡¿É¬¼ûÉÊ in the branding world, however, and has become a millionaire through it.

Ten out of ten: The singer won the show in 2006 with dance partner Matt Cutler to gain her credentials as a judge

Ten out of ten: The singer won the show in 2006 with dance partner Matt Cutler to ¿­¤Ó¡Ê¤ë¡Ë her ¿®Ç¤¾õ as a ºÛȽ´±

Her biggest ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äê was a four-year ·ÀÌó with LA Fitness in 2009, which could ·ë¶ÉºÇ¸å¤Ë¤Ï¡¼¤Ê¤ë netting her? ¡ò3?million. She has also been the ľÌ̤¹¤ë of Ford, hair ½üµî cream Veet, Toblerone, Clintons cards and, most recently, Avon cosmetics.

She has hosted several TV programmes, ´Þ¤àing a ʸ½ñ¤Î on the ¹ñÆâ¤Î ÍðÍÑ she ¾Ú¸À¡¤¾Ú¿Í¡¿Ìܷ⤹¤ëd as a child.

She has two companies: Preciousstone ¾®Î¹¹Ô¤¹¤ëing and Preciousstone À¸»º¡¿»ºÊªs, which ¸øɽ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë½Ïª¤¹¤ëd a Ï¢¹ç¤µ¤»¤ëd ǯ¼¡¤Î Íø±×¡Ê¤ò¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ë of ¡ò160,000 earlier this year.

STRICTLY OUTSIDE WORK: Mostly Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È since Î¥º§ing rapper husband MC Harvey for cheating on her, she lives in a modest house which she bought mortgage-²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê in July 2009 for ¡ò316,995.

ESTIMATED ANNUAL EARNINGS: ¡ò600,000.

BRUNO TONIOLI

LIFE BEFORE STRICTLY: Italian Tonioli, 55, who left his small home town because he was ¤¤¤¸¤á¡Ê¤ë¡Ëd for ¸ºß gay, made his »Ø̾¤¹¤ë as a ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼ and choreographer of pop ¥Ó¥Ç¥ªs ´Þ¤àing working for Duran Duran, Bananarama and Tina Turner. He went on to choreograph films ´Þ¤àing Ella Enchanted, Little ȯ¸À¤¹¤ë¡¿É½ÌÀ¤¹¤ë and The ½¸²ñ Íò¡¿½±·â¤¹¤ë.

STRICTLY SALARY: He gets ¡ò90,000 for the UK ¸·Ì©¤Ë and, like Len, he jets »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë and Á°¤Ø¡¿³°¤Ø across? the ÂçÀ¾ÍÎ to be a ºÛȽ´± on Dancing With The À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ës which earns him ¡ò250,000.

He's got the moves: Bruno made his name as a choreographer

He's got the moves: Bruno made his »Ø̾¤¹¤ë as a choreographer

Four years ago he co-created and appeared in the show DanceX, where two teams of ¥À¥ó¥µ¡¼s were pitted against each other. He repeated the show in the U.S. the ¤Ë°ú¤­Â³¤¤¤Æ year.

Like Len, he is a Àµµ¬¤Î¡¿ÀµÁª¼ê on the ¸·Ì©¤Ë Live ¾®Î¹¹Ô¤¹¤ë, ¼ýÆþ an extra ¡ò40,000. He also takes part in the Warners¡Ç ¸·Ì©¤Ë breaks.

STRICTLY BUSINESS: A favourite on the speaking ²óÏ©¡¦Ï¢ÌÁ, he will talk at your event for around ¡ò8,000 a pop. Last year¡Çs accounts for his company, Bruno Tonioli ¸Â¤é¤ì¤¿¡¿Î©·ûŪ¤Ê, ¸øɽ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë½Ïª¤¹¤ëd an income of ¡ò410,000.

STRICTLY OUTSIDE WORK: He lives mortgage-²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê in a ¡ò1 million garden flat in ή¹Ô¤Î¡¿¾åή¤Î Maida Vale, North London, which he bought in 1991. He is Áª¤Ó½Ð¤¹¡¿ÆÈ¿È after splitting from his boyfriend of 20 years.

ESTIMATED ANNUAL EARNINGS: ¡ò410,000.

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