Hollie enjoys success after win

Hollie Robertson, the Shropshire dancer who shot to fame on TV's Strictly Dance Fever today said winning the show had changed her life.Hollie, 22, of Middleton, near Ludlow, waltzed into the nation's consciousness when she triumphed on the prime time programme. Today she said that success had changed her life and she was enjoying a busy career. "Winning Strictly Dance Fever changed my life, there's no doubt about it.

"The path that I'm following now is very tough, you really have to stick at it.

"But people know my name, the money that I won allowed me to buy some really nice dance kit and a lot of doors have been opened."

Hollie, who has appeared in the musicals Footloose and Fame, said she was in constant demand but wanted to take her career to a higher level.

She planned to audition for Cirque Du Soleil, she was hoping to fly to America to train with professional dancers and more TV work was also in the pipeline.

Hollie, who now lives in London but returns to Ludlow monthly, said: "It's going great. I'm doing workshops every month in London, Belfast and Basingstoke and I'm hoping to start teaching at stage schools.

"My partner, Darrien Wright, and I are also performing with Joseph and Sadie, who won Strictly Dance Fever the year before us.

"We're playing at jive weekends, cabaret shows, or holiday camps to audiences of about 400.

"I'm signed with an American agent and I'm hoping to get out to the USA this year. The agent has offices in London and LA and they want us to do another TV show."

Hollie added that she hoped to train in America, where the standard of dance was very high, and also planned to audition for Cirque Du Soleil.

She said: "I would love to appear in it. There are different people and different talents".

"Winning Strictly Dance Fever changed my life from how it was before. People know who I am. It's opened doors for me.

"I come home once a month and I'm injury free."

Hollie said she'd be forever grateful to the Shropshire residents who voted for her.