The 31-year-old documentary filmmaker, who is know for fronting her series Stacey Dooley Investigates, insisted her personal trainer beau was supportive of her Strictly Come Dancing partnership with Grimsby-born professional Kevin Clifton, 36. “The truth is Kevin and I are brilliant friends and he’ll be my pal for life,” she told The Times Magazine. “And Sam was probably the most supportive he has ever been. When I first got the gig he was just so made up,” Stacey Dooley continued.
“He was dancing around our living room. And every week he’d say, ‘Listen to Kevin. Kevin knows best,’” she added. “He was a dream.”
A source previously claimed Sam had been “quite vocal” about Stacey dancing with a single partner.
“[He] was really paranoid that they were going to split because of the show,” they told The Sun.
“She says he has become insanely jealous even though she insisted there was nothing for him to worry about,” the insider continued.
“Kevin and Stacey are very close, as is inevitable through the course of a show like Strictly, but they’re just trying to focus on winning the series.”
Stacey went on to take Kevin to his fifth Strictly final and helped him achieve his first ever Glitterball trophy win when they were crowned champions in December.
Meanwhile, the presenter has also opened up on how she first met Sam when he was her personal training.
“Cheesy, innit?” she quipped. “We kind of hung out for a while and were pally.
“I remember seeing him and thinking, oh my god, he’s so handsome,” she continued. “But I never thought he was for me. Never thought of him like that.”
Stacey’s recent comments about her romance come after reports emerged claiming their relationship is “under strain”.
According to The Sun, she has been struggling to spend time with her boyfriend of seven years due to her hectic work schedule and the Strictly Come Dancing live tour.
“She has already blamed the six months she spent on Strictly or putting a massive strain on her love life but now, being away from home has made things even more difficult,” a source said.
“She and Sam used to train together most days, but now she is always dancing. He’s not sure how much more distance their relationship can stand.”
Express.co.uk has contacted a a representative for Stacey asking for comment.
Just weeks after winning Strictly, Stacey embarked on the 2019 live tour, this time paired up with Slovenian dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, 28, as Kevin was already committed to starring in the Rock of Ages tour.
The Strictly tour comes to a conclusion tomorrow night with a final show at London’s O2 Arena.