Strictly’s Stacey Dooley says show gives her a break from ‘harrowing’ day job
INVESTIGATIVE journalist extraordinaire Stacey Dooley has declared starring on Strictly Come Dancing has been the ultimate distraction from the worlds of extreme drugs and sex that she is used to.
The 31-year-old TV reporter has made a name for herself thanks to the hard hitting documentaries she has made.
Over the years, Stace has visited war-torn countries, met prostitutes stuck in a bleak life of money for sex, and witnessed the devastating impact of the illegal drugs trade while shining a journalistic light on the worst aspects of humanity.
But surviving a hail of bullets and seeing her vision clouded with tears as she listens to the stories of Turkish hookers are a distant memory when she slips into a sequined outfit and hits the dance floor with Kevin Clifton.
“One of the reasons I said yes to doing Strictly was because it is so far removed from what I do for a living ordinarily,”
“I love my job but it's intense, and it's serious, and it's straight, and it can be really harrowing,” she added.
Over the past decade, Stacey has made a string of intense documentaries for the BBC which have aired on BBC Three in her continuing series Stacey Dooley Investigates.
The Luton born beauty has travelled the globe to learn about issues in episodes with titles such as Sex Trafficking in Cambodia, Europe’s Dirty Drugs Secret and The Truth About… Sex, Stags and Prague.
While she has been moved to tears by her job as an investigative journalist, the auburn haired star says she is enjoying abandoning the grimier side of life to enjoy wowing the Strictly judges on Prime Time Saturday night TV.
“[Strictly] is so celebratory, and so flamboyant, and so camp, and so amazing, but still so classy,” she gushed to the Mail.
“It is the classiest show on telly, I do believe that. The dancers are incredible, the best in the world,” she said.
Stacey is now just weeks away from claiming the Glitter Ball Trophy alongside dance professional Kevin, 36.
Together, they topped the leader board on week four of the competition and have maintained consistently high marks from judges Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell and Shirley Ballas.
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However they will have to face off with fellow high-scoring partners Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev and Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice to claim the top prize.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One on Saturday nights at 6.50pm
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