Strictly Come Dancing star announces he’s engaged as Tess Daly, Oti Mabuse & Neil Jones rush to say congrats
A STRICTLY Come Dancing star has got engaged as famous faces from the show rush to congratulate the couple.
Rhys Stephenson, 30, who was paired with professional dancer Nancy Xu on the hit BBC show in 2021 made the announcement on his Instagram page.
The CBBC presenter shared a photo of himself with a big grin on his face while TV design worker Beth showed off her dazzling engagement ring.
Rhys captioned the lovely photo with: “She said yes! #caymanislands #engagement.”
Well-wishers rushed to add their congratulations in the comments section, including many stars of the show such as Tess Daly, judge Oti Mabuse and dancer Neil Jones.
Tess wrote: “Congratulations!” and added a heart emoji.
Oti added: “AAAAAAAAAHHHHH CONGRATULATIONS WE LOVE TO SEE IT.”
Neil, meanwhile, shared: “Omg congratulations.”
It is not clear how long the pair have been dating, but her name was first revealed publicly during a shoutout on the dancing show.
Following Rhys and Nancy doing a steamy Argentine Tango to Phil Collins’ hit In The Air Tonight, Strictly’s host Claudia Winkleman asked: “What did your girlfriend Beth say when you told her you were doing the Argentine Tango?”
With Rhys replying: “Beth said ‘If I’m not jealous, you’re not doing it right.’ So, Beth I hope you’re both proud and jealous.”
In the 2021 series, Rhys narrowly missed out on a place in the final with the former EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis taking the crown along with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice.
Looking back on his time on the ballroom show, Rhys previously said it was “very scary” but a lot of support was given off camera.
He told OK! magazine: “They have their own therapists in there. They’ve got people that who you can talk to if you’re feeling lonely, because I mean, they know it can be a very stressful show in a very scary show.”
Rhys, who was born and grew up in London, joined CBBC in 2016 and has gone on to present a host of other shows including Blue Peter and Newsround.
He has also been on Steph’s Packed Lunch to highlight the issue of internet safety and is also an ambassador for the charity Place2B, which provides mental health services in schools.