Stefan Dennis, the lead singer of Strictly, has gone through both public affairs and personal tragedy, including the tragic death of his brother, two successful marriages, and raising three children with his current wife.
Stefan Dennis, the veteran Australian actor best known for his role as the ruthless Paul Robinson on the long-running soap Neighbours, has joined the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing, bringing decades of experience in television drama to the glittering BBC ballroom.
It marks a new chapter in a career that has spanned more than 40 years and made him a household name both in Australia and the UK.
Dennis, 66, who was born in Tawonga, Victoria, when he first started acting at age 11 and starred in an amateur version of Oliver, moved with his family to the Gold Coast as a child.
He then made guest appearances on shows like The Bill, Dream Team, River City, and Casualty as well as a number of Australian television dramas, including Prisoner, The Henderson Kids, The Sullivans, Young Doctors, and Sons and Daughters.
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In 1985, Stefan gained notoriety for playing Paul Robinson in Neighbours, a character that would go on to become one of the soap’s most well-known and enduring figures.
The much-loved actor is best known for his conspiratorial business dealings, complicated relationships, and numerous personal dramas that kept viewers riveted day after day. He has appeared in more than 6, 000 episodes over the course of his career.
Stefan briefly left Neighbours in 1992, but he then followed up that year, and in 2004 he remained active in the fictional Ramsay Street community until the show’s cancellation on Amazon Freevee, with the final episode aired later this year.
Speaking to Loose Women, he revealed that the show’s producers honoured his long tenure by giving him the final line in the soap’s concluding episode, saying: “I say the very last line in the show. It was a nice tribute Jason, our executive producer, gave to me because he said, ‘You were in the first episode. It’s a no-brainer that you have to say the last thing’.”
Despite planning to “semi-retire” following the news that his long-standing character would be permanently written out, Stefan was persuaded to take on the Strictly challenge, joking on the ITV panel show: “I always say actors don’t retire, they die. I planned to semi-retire, maybe getting one good gig a year.”
“Strictly followed then. Before describing his excitement at joining the competition alongside professional dancer Dianne Buswell, he said, “Bye bye semi-retirement.”
“This is an opportunity for me to once again learn to step out of my comfort zone in the world of television. Looking forward to the sparkle and reaching for the sky,” the Neighbours legend added.
The actor has gone through a significant personal tragedy, including the tragic death of his older brother at the age of 12 in a drunk driver’s collision.
It’s a life event, according to Stefan, that he will remember for a long time. He revealed in a previous interview that “the repercussions of someone driving while on drugs or drinking still affect me.”
“The man who killed my brother was traveling at a speed of just 30 kilometers per hour.” That was all that was required,” adding that the driver was surprised to receive a surprisingly light $200 fine in contrast to the time’s heavier penalties for other minor mishaps.
In addition to his private life, Roz Roy and the model’s marriage to Roz Roy from 1979 to 1989 were prominent partners.
Stefan, who portrayed his on-screen nemesis Julie Quill in Neighbours, and co-star Gayle Blakeney and singer Natalie Imbruglia, have three children together. They have three children, Cameron, Declan, and Darci.
Stefan has pursued music in addition to acting, with 1989’s release of Don’t It Make You Feel Good, which reached No. This Love Affair reached No. 16 on the UK charts, and 16 on the UK charts. 67.
As he prepares to compete on Strictly Come Dancing while biding farewell to Ramsay Street, Stefan shows no signs of slowing down. His versatility has helped him maintain a long and varied career.
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Source: Mirror
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