Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole won series 1, back in 2004 (Picture: BBC)

Natasha Kaplinsky was willing to go to extreme lengths to get out of Strictly Come Dancing.

Of course, Natasha was overjoyed when she became the first celebrity to lift the Strictly glitter ball in 2004, partnered with Brendan Cole – but she wasn’t always so keen to join the dance show.

In fact, the journalist, 50, considered breaking her own ankle to avoid participating in series one.

Recalling how convincing her to sign up was no small feat, former executive producer Karen Smith said: ‘Natasha Kaplinsky did not want to do it.

‘We tried – it was a no. The head of entertainment tried – it was a no. The heads of news and BBC One tried to talk her around.’

Karen added to The Guardian: ‘I used to send people – we’re in the same building – to show her pictures of the dresses, but she was like: “Karen, you’re just making it worse! You’re making me more nervous!”.’

They were the first couple ever to lift the Strictly glitter ball (Picture: BBC)

Thankfully, the TV presenter was persuaded, even though those nerves didn’t exactly vanish overnight.

Natasha explained: ‘As a woman in journalism and having fought quite hard to be taken seriously as a journalist, I felt like that really wasn’t what I needed – to suddenly get into a very short sparkly dress on a Saturday night and start dancing and ask for people to vote for me.

‘I didn’t want to take what I felt was a step backwards. Ultimately, I was persuaded. Once I signed the contract, I had a terrible rush of anxiety and tried to break my ankle by falling off every street corner. I was trying to think of every possible reason not to do it.’

Convincing Natasha to do Strictly was no small feat (Picture: BBC)

It didn’t take long for her to fall in love with ballroom and latin dancing, though, and she proved a real hit with viewers, with her and Brendan only in the bottom two once.

‘I loved every single minute in that rehearsal studio,’ she reminisced.

‘My biggest regret is that I was so concerned about how it would be perceived that I didn’t allow myself to enjoy it as much as I should have done.’

Natasha and Brendan were one of eight couples who competed in the first series of Strictly, with other stars including Claire Sweeney, David Dickinson, and Lesley Garrett.

The presenter actually tried breaking her own ankle to get out of it! (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

As well as being the first winning partnership, they were also the first to fall victim to the so-called Strictly curse, both splitting from their romantic partners at the time, shortly after the show ended.

Natasha and Brendan have both maintained that nothing happened between them, though.

Fleur East, Hamza Yassin, Helen Skelton, Molly Rainford, and Will Mellor make up this year’s final five (Picture: BBC/Guy Levy)

Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke make up the judging panel for series 20 (Picture: BBC/Ray Burmiston)

Fast forward to 2022 and the final of series 20 of Strictly is fast approaching.

Of course, there have been many switch-ups along the way, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman now serving as hosts, and the judging panel consisting of Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas, as well as Anton Du Beke, who was partnered with Lesley as a professional in 2004.

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Resident Mr. Nasty Craig Revel Horwood is still there, though, as the only judge to have appeared in all series.

Meanwhile, on the dancefloor, Molly Rainford, Fleur East, Will Mellor, Helen Skelton, and Hamza Yassin make up the final four and are all hoping to lift the trophy next weekend.

Strictly Come Dancing continues Sunday on BBC One.

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She won the first ever series.