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Strictly's Kevin Clifton hits back at claims he is 'public enemy number one'

He recently confirmed his romance with Stacey Dooley

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Ainhoa Barcelona
Content Managing Editor
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Kevin Clifton has denied saying he called himself "public enemy number one" following his romance with former dance partner Stacey Dooley. The Strictly Come Dancing pro made headlines last month when their relationship came to light. Stacey had been dating her boyfriend Sam Tucknott for five years, but they split after Stacey and Kevin grew close.

A new report claimed that Kevin said: "I seem to be public enemy number one at the moment. I'll get blamed for the Meghan Markle baby as well." The dancer reportedly made the comments at the matinée performance of his dance show Burn The Floor at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Sunday.

stacey dooley and kevin clifton together© Photo: Instagram

Kevin and Stacey's relationship came to light last month

But on Tuesday, the TV star replied to a tweet, saying, "It's funny I never said I was," alongside a string of confused-looking emojis. A fan also waded in, writing: "No you are not public enemy number one. You have a lot of support and we all ignore the vile comments about these rumours."

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Kevin, who has been married three times before, including to fellow Strictly pro Karen Clifton, appeared to confirm his romance with Stacey last month. The lovebirds cuddled up for a sweet photo posted on their Instagram Stories. Stacey, 32, has also been cheering on her boyfriend at his show in various locations, including travelling to Skegness to support him.

stacey dooley kevin clifton© Photo: Getty Images

The couple won Strictly last year

Last month, Stacey's ex-boyfriend Sam gave an interview with the Mail on Sunday. While initially he was supportive of Stacey and Kevin's working relationship and was rooting for them to win Strictly, he revealed he felt concerned after seeing text messages sent from Kevin, including one that read: "I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you."

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Strictly pros say goodbye to Pasha:

Sam also revealed that their relationship wasn't the same after Strictly, and that while he was happy to have his girlfriend back after the show finished, things didn't go as he'd expected. He revealed that by Christmas he still felt that something had shifted between them, adding: "I could just sense that something was up and I didn't know what it was. I thought maybe she was tired, but she had just won Strictly – she should have been buzzing."

The investigative journalist later tweeted her response to the interview, writing: "Anyone with any adult life experience knows there are two sides to every story. I haven't got the time or energy to correct some of the utter nonsense I've read on here."

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