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BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s Stefan Dennis’ family tragedy that ‘affects him to this day’

By Branwen Jones

Copyright walesonline

BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Stefan Dennis' family tragedy that 'affects him to this day'

Neighbours’ star Stefan Dennis will be joining the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. The Paul Robinson star has recently admitted that the BBC dancing show saved him from “semi-retirement” after the Aussie soap Neighbours was axed for the second time. The actor has signed up for the new series of Strictly, which starts this weekend. While most viewers will remember him as villainous Paul, many might not know a lot about the actor’s personal life. Off screen, the actor has experienced a heartbreaking family tragedy, which he has openly spoken about on social media and interviews. The star has also been married twice, but dated a famous popstar in the 1990s. Here’s everything you need to know about Stefan Dennis – his career, family background and relationships, before he takes to the dancefloor. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Stefan Dennis is most famous for appearing as Paul Robinson in the Australian soap opera. He is the longest serving character in the soap as he appeared in the very first episode on March 18, 1985, all the way to the present day. However, the actor and his character did not appear continuously in that time, leaving in 1992 and briefly returning in 1993, before departing again in the same year. Dennis did not appear in the show for another 11 years until December 2004, where his character Paul remained a regular character and remains as such to this day. During the soap opera’s history, Paul Robinson has married six times and had seven children. His biggest storylines included having his leg amputated, surviving a tornado and being embroiled in corporate scams. In an interview with The Guardian recently, the actor spoke about his character. He said: “Every soap has a villain, and I happened to be the resident. But Paul was always a likable one. He did some pretty nasty stuff but he always managed to turn it round with people.” In 2022, it was announced that Neighbours would be ending after 37 years, but was saved by Amazon. However, earlier this year, it was confirmed that the beloved soap would be cancelled once again. Dennis, now 66, confessed that he had plans to semi-retire before he got the Strictly call. During an interview on ITV’s Loose Women, the star said: “Well, as I always say, I always say actors don’t retire, they die. And so I planned to semi-retire, but with the intention of, you know, maybe getting one good gig a year, that would have kept me quite happy. And then Strictly came along, bye-bye semi-retirement!” Off the screen, the actor has spoken openly about a devastating family tragedy. His brother John was killed by a drunk driver when he was just 12 years old and riding a bicycle. The actor has spoken candidly about the tragic incident and the impact this had on his family several times in an attempt to save the lives of others on the roads in Australia. Previously, the actor spoke to News Corp and said: “The man who killed my brother was going just 30km/h. That’s all it took.” Stefan said the driver was fined just AUD$50 for the incident, claiming that a driver who killed a koala that same weekend was fined “something like five times that” due to them being a protected species. Stefan has used his social media to call for changes on the roads, revealing how the death of his brother affects him more as an adult. Writing previously on Twitter , now known as X, he posted: “The police/gov should stop raising money on speed and start concentrating people’s inability to drive correctly. Melb drivers are shameful! 2 of biggest causes of crashes on motorways – tailgating and incorrect mirror position. Never heard of anyone being booked for either. “This happened decades and decades ago for me, but it still affects me. I’m more affected today than I was back then, because I was only a little kid then.” Dennis has had multiple relationships with other stars, including a famous popstar who is well known in the UK. The actor was first married to a model and The Price Is Right hostess Roz Roy, but the marriage came to an end in 1989. In the 1990s, the star then dated none other than Natalie Imbruglia, known for singing the song Torn and playing the character of Beth in Neighbours. Dennis told Stellar Magazine that his relationship with Natalie in the 1990s was a “well-kept secret” after they discovered a mutual attraction after meeting on the set. Since 2000, the actor has been married to dancer Gail Easdale. The couple have three children – Cameron, 23, Declan, 20 and daughter Darci, 16. The actor said that “acceptance and understanding” was the key to their marital bliss. “And waking up every day and looking at a woman who I just think is stunning and gorgeous in every way,” he added.