Strictly Come Dancing and huge sports star unrecognisable 19 years after winning Christmas special

A STRICTLY Come Dancing favourite looks unrecognisable almost two decades after winning the Christmas Special.

The sports ace, who had already secured the Glitterball Trophy in Strictly‘s main series, took to his Instagram page for a candid new video in which he addressed his personal struggles.

Darren Gough was the third ever Strictly winner back in 2005, three years prior to him announcing his retirement from cricket.

In the same year, he triumphed in the festive show with a dazzling Quickstep alongside Lilia Kopylova.

He was a fresh-faced Yorkshire and England cricketer during his time on the show, which also saw him star in the festive episode in 2017, this time tackling an American Smooth routine.

Yet now his spiked brunette hairstyle has been switched up with a close-cut grey hairstyle and stubbled beard.

The former Yorkshire county captain, now 54, went on to set a trend for cricketing success on Strictly, with fellow former England team-mate Mark Ramprakash taking the title in 2006.

Now Darren, who has gone on to forge a career in bowling coaching and on TalkSPORT, has taken to Instagram to give an insight into his personal struggles.

He wore a blue knit jumper as he gave an update on his “reset month” – which saw him doing “absolutely nothing but playing golf.”

He frankly opened up on a “lack of motivation” and feels of grief after his father’s death in April.

In his caption, Darren wrote: “For the last six months you might have been wondering what I’ve been doing.

“A lot of golf as you might have seen!

“But the truth is, I have been struggling with grief since the loss of my father, and taking some time to process all of that in my own time.”

He added: “Here’s my morning routine to start the day in the best possible way! Who’s up for the ice bath?”

Darren then encouraged fans to follow his wife Anna, who he re-married in 2018, for tips on breathwork and cold water therapy.

STRICTLY JOYFUL

Ahead of the 2024 series, Darren took to his Instagram page to post a throwback to one of his favourite routines.

In his caption, he asked fans: “Do you remember my show-dance?

“Excited for the new season of Strictly Come Dancing!

“It brings back great memories of my time on the show. Can’t wait to see the new celebrities take on the dance floor challenges and make incredible transformations.

“I put everything into this, and transitioning from cricket to dance was no easy feat. Your support made it all worth it.

“Winning was the cherry on top!”

CLAP BACK

Yet Darren – nicknamed Dazzler during his time on the pitch – hasn’t been shy in slamming the show format.

He previously exclusively told The Sun how the programme should scrap the judges vote and let the public decide who stays.

He previously told us: “I believe reality shows should be nothing to do with the judges.

“The judges should put their scores in but the public are the ones who want to see that ­person week in week out — they should be the ones that make the decision about who stays in and who goes home.

“They’ll pick someone they really like early on in the show, and they’ll want them to get to the final because they might think they’re the best dancer.

“I’d have it down to the ­public. The public are quite ­honest voters and they want the best dancer to get right to the end. But sometimes people go out when they shouldn’t go out.

“That’s why I’d like the public to get the final say, not the judges.”