Part 4 Exclusive interview with Strictly Come Dancing star VINCENT SIMONE.
STRICTLY Come Dancing star, Costa Blanca based Italian born father-of-two Vincent Simone has everything he ever dreamed of in life.
“I have everything in life and I am blessed,” said Vincent, engaged to wife Susan in December 2013, prior to their marriage at Castle Leslie in County Monaghan in 2015.
The couple moved to Susan’s home City of Londonderry, Northern Ireland in 2017, to be in the Derry countryside, near to her parents, brother and sister, prior to moving to Spain.
“We don’t have much time to visit Londonderry – but it is always in our minds.
“Our wedding day was amazing and Castle Leslie is an amazing place, with the hills and the mountains.
“I’d like to think our wedding day was the best. My wife arranged everything – bands, singing and dancing – and a Cuban band.
“The people are really nice in Northern Ireland and I met lots of friends. I loved my time in Londonderry,” said Vincent.
His future schedule is the 2021 UK and Ireland tour The Ballroom Boys Act Two with Ian Waite, which is in the lap of COVID-19.
“There is nothing you can do with the coronavirus situation at present, we will just have to wait and see what happens,” said Vincent.
Vincent, who shot to fame after a plethora of titles, including the UK Professional Ten Dance champions in 2002-06 and UK Ballroom Champions, said: “Being a dancer is the hardest job in the world.
“There were times when I thought I wouldn’t make it. The fact that I made it makes me feel blessed.
“My biggest achievement in my dancing career is becoming the Negracha Club UK Argentine Tango Champions in 2006”.
Asked about his biggest disappointment, after a long pause and deep thought, he said: “I have been blessed and I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed with anything.”
Vincent, 41, brought up in Puglia, Italy, to his dancing teaching parents, who became Italian champion aged 12, has teamed up with Georgia born star, Torrevieja based Katie Street.
“I was at a car wash in Punta Prima and a lady approached me to say there is an ideal dancing partner for me in Spain – Katie Street.
“Katie is a Latin-American dancer from Georgia and was the Georgia dancing champion.
“We had met before, in Sweden!
She had never done Argentina dancing – it is very difficult and a completely different style,” said Vincent.
Looking towards Christmas, Vincent said: “The family will celebrate Christmas and New Year in Spain.
“As for the future? Nobody knows what the future holds, with the coronavirus situation.
“At present it is a really bad time for everyone. I don’t know what the long term future holds. My children go to school in Spain and we are a happy family.
“If I can I will try and balance the work out, between here and the UK. Hopefully I will go on tour – whether that happens? I don’t know.
“Meanwhile I will be in Spain, indefinitely. My wife and children have fallen in love with the weather – Spain is a beautiful place.”
