By Chloe Dobinson Lauren Morris Megan Archer-Fox
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Flavia Cacace has spoken candidly about her bold move from the spotlight to a more down-to-earth existence amidst nature. The dance maestro, who dazzled audiences from 2006 until 2012, took to rural life with her husband, actor Jimi Mistry, after the pair hit it off on the BBC dance competition. The duo settled in the tranquil Devon countryside back in 2021, swapping sequins for soil as they got stuck into farm life, growing their own veg and tending to animals. During an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine last month, Flavia divulged why she stepped back from her high-octane dance career: “I never retired, I just needed a break. I toured for eight years and when me and Vincent started touring, we would do seven, eight shows a week in each venue. We did that for eight years – I stopped in 2018, I was just exhausted.” She conveyed how the continuous grind affected her physically and mentally, prompting the pursuit of a calmer lifestyle: “It was the body and the brain, it’s both things – and obviously, I’d been living out of a suitcase, from hotel to hotel. I needed that break and coronavirus came and it was one of those things where we said, ‘Let’s just go to the countryside.'”. Moreover, Flavia expressed her innate affection for animals which has evidently bloomed on their Devon farmstead, now their home for half a decade, reports Devon Live . Her successful Strictly journey saw her reach the final with EastEnders ‘ Matt Di Angelo in 2007, finishing as runner-up, and later winning the trophy with Olympian Louis Smith in her last series. Matt and Flavia began a romantic relationship after their time on Strictly, staying together until 2010, according to the Mirror. Flavia is now returning to dance, starring in a nationwide tour alongside former Strictly star Oti Mabuse. Oti said goodbye to Strictly in 2021 and has since appeared on I’m A Celebrity …Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity Bake Off and Big Brother : Late and Live. She also served as a judge on Dancing on Ice , until its cancellation earlier this year, and hosted Oti Mabuse’s Breakfast Show for ITV . Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Love Island winner Dani Dyer would be participating in this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing . The celebrity, who married her footballer partner Jarrod Bowen over the weekend, has reportedly signed a pre-contract for the show and is currently in pay deal discussions, according to The Sun. A Strictly source told The Sun that BBC executives are “thrilled” she’ll be joining the show and are currently “ironing out her fee”. They added: “She’s bubbly, down-to-earth and straight-talking and producers reckon she’ll make an ideal contestant – not to mention the bonus of having Jarrod and dad Danny in the audience supporting her.” Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV1 and ITVX.