Strictly Come Dancing stars wow Wombourne crowd

Strictly Come Dancing stars Brian Fortuna and Kristina Rihanoff sizzled on the dance floor in a passionate Latin number when they performed near Wolverhampton - cheered on by Brian's celebrity girlfriend Ali Bastian.

For more photos click on the numbers below

Actress Ali, better known for her role as PC Sally Armstrong in the police drama The Bill, partnered the suave American during the last Strictly series.

Although the pair were romantically linked, they remained coy about their off-screen relationship.

But romance was definitely in the air when they visited Wombourne Civic Centre last night to help raise funds for local dance academy, the Zig Zag Dance Factory.

Brian and his dance partner Kristina performed a series of exciting routines on the dance floor but it was clear he had eyes only for the 27-year-old former Hollyoaks star, cheering him on from the sidelines.

And when a female in the audience cheekily asked him "Will you marry me?" during a Q & A session, the actress feigned shock and annoyance.

Afterwards he confirmed the romance was "going well".

Ali kept in the background as the professional duo performed a Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Mambo, Rumba and a Quickstep with changes of costume between each dance.

But she told the Express & Star: "I've come to a couple of events like this with Brian although we only finished the Strictly tour two weeks ago. I miss it already but I love watching him dance with Kristina."

Warren and Jane Bullock, who run Zig Zag, performed in the first series of Strictly but were unable to return because of contractual commitments elsewhere.

However, they retained their links with the show and have attracted a number of stars of the popular BBC programme to the region.

Last year Matthew and Nicole Cutler performed at Wulfrun Hall and Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace will dance at Dudley Town Hall in July in aid of the academy.

Brian said: "It's a pleasure to be here. I grew up a child dancer but my mother ran a school so it was easy for me.

"From what I've seen, the youngsters here are spectacularly talented and it's good to know I can made a difference just by showing up."

Among the dancers who will benefit from last night's fund-raiser will be 11-year-old Josh Mackenzie, of Larkhill Road, Stourbridge, who saved up all his Christmas money to pay for private tuition at Zig Zag.

His mother Katharine Mackenzie, 33, said: "I'm a single mum and couldn't afford the extra lessons Josh needed to get up to competition standard.

"I felt terrible saying no but then he asked for money instead of presents for Christmas and has paid for the lessons himself."

Josh, who partners 10-year-old Laurie-Mae Mole, of Tipton, said: "I just love dancing."nextpage