Darren Bennett

Background

Bennett was born in Sheffield.

Career

Darren"s favourite dances are the Samba and the Foxtrot. They teach private lessons in their own studio at Sheffield, England. Bennett and Kopylova triumphed winning all five dances to retain the title.

The couple are currently starring in a West End dance show, Latin Fever, which they have choreographed themselves, as well as choosing the music and costumes to reflect the mood of each Latin dance.

He is a competitor on the British Broadcasting Corporation dancing television programme, This is a summary of how well he has done in the show: Series Four: Knocked out in the final (third place) after competing with singer Emma Bunton. They also competed together in the 2006 Christmas Special, finished in third place overall (the remaining couples were not ranked).

Series Five: Knocked out in the quarter-final (fourth place) after competing with actress Letitia Dean. They also competed together in the 2007 Christmas Special, but were not placed in the final two overall (the remaining couples were not ranked).

The tour was based on a similar format to the main series, with each couple performing two routines which were marked by the judges, and the audience being invited to vote for their favourite.

Series Six: Knocked out in the fourth week, dancing with EastEnders" Jessie Wallace. Series Seven: Knocked out in the fourth week, dancing with Actress and Loose Women presenter Lynda Bellingham.

Achievements

• In November 2005 Bennett and Kopylova won the British Championships for Professional Latin, coming first in all five dances. In February 2008, Bennett and Kopylova were winners of the Carl Alan Award for Ballroom, Latin and Sequence (performers)- a prestigious title described by the IDTA as "the Oscars of the world of dance". Series Two: Won with his partner, actress Jill Halfpenny. Christmas Special: Won with his partner from series two, Jill Halfpenny. Live Tour 2008: Competing at a series of venues during January and February 2008 with Series Five partner Letitia Dean, they won once (31 January 2008), and were runners up on two further occasions. Won the 2008 Christmas Special with Jill Halfpenny, meaning they became two of the select few couples to win the Christmas Special twice. On the 2009 Tour Darren was re-united with his Series 2 partner and champion Jill Halfpenny.

Views

In November 2006 they successfully defended this title against a challenge from Olga Rodionova and Paul Richardson, who had been competing for the United States of America but had recently registered as a British couple.

Connections

Partner:

Gloria Hunniford