Strictly Come Dancing's Aliona Vilani: 'I really had to step away' to start a family

Aliona Vilani has said starting a family is incompatible with being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing.

The pro, who quit the show in December after winning the glitterball trophy with Jay McGuiness, said even just one day off a week would have helped her juggle motherhood and her job – but that was impossible.


Aliona said the hectic training schedule gave her no option but to quit: “Strictly is a really full-on show, so basically you have to take five months out of your life.”

Speaking to Digital Spy at the Tric Awards, she explained: “You don’t see your friends, you don’t see your family, you don’t have any days off.

“Let’s say I want to start a family and have a baby – I don’t want to take five months out of my life and not be with my child, especially in the beginning. So I think I really had to step away.”

The 31-year-old married sales director Vincent Kavanagh two years ago.

She said: “I really want to start a family with my husband and I can’t just take five months out of my life and not be with my family, without any days off.

“I don’t mind if I would have a day or two days off – maybe that would change my mind – but with Strictly you can’t have that.”