16 couples who met on reality shows not focused on love - including The Apprentice and Strictly romances
Finding a relationship may not have been the goal of the reality show these pairings appeared on - but it didn’t stop them falling in love
For anyone looking to find love - and brave enough to put themselves in front of TV cameras - there are many shows which are focused on helping people to find relationships.
From Love Island to First Dates, and Love Is Blind to Married at First Sight, the list goes on and on. Contestants going on these shows are hoping to find romance when they take part, and indeed that is the entire focus on these shows.
These reality shows aren’t, however, the only places where participants have found love. As these 16 couples show, everyone - whether they are famous or not - can find love on any TV show at all.
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These reality shows aren’t, however, the only places where participants have found love. As these 16 couples show, everyone - whether they are famous or not - can find love on any TV show at all.
5. Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
TV presenter and journalist met professional dancer Kevin Clifton when Dooley took part in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2018. The duo were paired together and went on to lift the glitterball trophy. Dooley had been in a relationship during the show, but this ended when the show finished - and in 2019 Dooley and Clifton announced their relationship. Dooley gave birth to the the couple’s first child, Minnie, in January.
6. Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez
Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez are another couple who met on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Actress Atkinson, who is best known for appearing in teen soap Hollyoaks, met professional dancer Marquez when she took part in the 2017 series of the show. They didn’t dance together, but it is thought they started their relationship when they met again on the 2018 annual tour. They moved in together in December 2018 and welcomed their daughter Mia in 2019. The couple then announced their engagement in 2021. Atkinson is currently pregnant with the couple's second child.
7. Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell
Youtuber Joe Sugg and professional dancer Dianne Buswell are another Strictly Come Dancing success story in the stakes of romance. They were paired together in the 2018 series and came runners up to Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley. They went public with their relationship shortly after the show came to an end. They moved in together the following year and announced that they had bought their first home together in February 2021.
8. Emily Middlemas and Ryan Lawrie
Emily Middlemas and Ryan Lawrie began dating when they were both contestants on ITV singing contest X-Factor in 2016. They have been together ever since and announced their engagement in the summer of 2022.