Who is Natalie Lowe? Former Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer who has married James Knibbs in Australia
NATALIE Lowe has revealed she is expecting her first child with husband James Kibbs.
The Strictly Come Dancing shared the "amazing news" with fans via social media. Here is what you need to know...
Who is Natalie Lowe? What's her background?
Born in Australia in 1980, Natalie started ballroom dancing after some encouragement from her neighbours at the age of five.
She planned to move to Europe to further her dance education, however a family illness meant she stayed in Australia.
Shortly after this she was cast as a regular in the Dancing With The Stars series.
She is married to company director James Knibbs, who she got engaged to in 2015.
Natalie and James tied the knot in January 2018 after they exchanged vows on a beach in her native Sydney surrounded by friends and family.
Her previous achievements include maintaining her title as Australian Professional New Vogue Champion between 2005 and 2009.
When Natalie isn't dancing, she likes spending time by water surfing, camping, water skiing, fishing and walking her Labrador.
Is Natalie Lowe pregnant with her first child?
Yes! The mum-to-be announced the news on Thursday, August 7, 2019 via Instagram.
Sharing a picture of herself and her husband on their wedding day, she told fans her journey to pregnancy had be a "difficult" one.
In view of her 29,900 Instagram followers, she wrote: "So happy to be able to tell the world our AMAZING NEWS! My husband James and I are expecting!
"It’s has been a rather long and difficult journey, as it is sadly for many but we are almost there and it's now really happening."
She continued: "I am 21 weeks pregnant our precious baby ...? is due (would you believe it) the weekend of the Strictly final. We are over the moon excited and can’t wait to bring a little one of our own into this AMAZING world.
"I now only have one season of Strictly Come Dancing to prepare for bubba’s arrival... yikes warmest wishes, Love Nat, James, Cooper."
How did Natalie Lowe fare on Strictly Come Dancing?
Natalie made her debut in 2009 where she was partnered with Ricky Whittle.
The Hollyoaks star proved to be Natalie's most successful dance partner with the twosome finishing in second place behind Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan.
A year later she and Scott Maslen finished in a respectable fourth, the second-highest finish during her time on the show.
Also, she has appeared with Audley Harrison, Michael Vaughan, Tim Wonnacott, Ainsley Harriett and Greg Rutherford on the BBC series.
Why did Natalie Lowe leave Strictly?
Natalie left the show in 2016 and her departure coincided with head judge Len Goodman leaving the show.
While she hasn't explicitly said why she left the show, she told Press Association: “This was a very difficult decision for me not to accept the invitation to appear on this season of Strictly Come Dancing.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I have arrived at this decision.
“I’ll be forever grateful for the amazing time, opportunities and memories that Strictly has created for me. My time on the programme has been everything that I dreamed it would be and more.
“From the friendships I developed, the amazing dances I was able to perform in and the experiences that Strictly provided, it has been an incredible and extraordinary adventure.”
What else does Natalie Lowe do beside Strictly?
Natalie described herself as a celebrity coach, host and motivational speaker, who specialises in personal performance on social media.
Also, she is the creator of FitSteps.co.uk, a dance class which incorporates Strictly moves.
In 2018, she worked on the musical Rip It Up with former Strictly stars winners Jay McGuiness and Louis Smith.
Speaking about the role at the time, Natalie told PA: “To be able to work with these two incredible Strictly champions and choreograph routines with them to the music from music’s greatest decade is something we are all very excited to be working on.
“Together, we will dance through some of the most fantastic songs ever created.”