What Hollie did next

Three short years ago, Hollie Robertson was the nation's newest star.

The dancer, whose family live at Middleton, near Ludlow, shot to fame on TV's Strictly Dance Fever.

She won the televised contest with her partner Darrien Wright, from Darlington, in May 2006, securing a £50,000 first prize and a part in a West End musical.

Hollie, who was 20 at the time of her victory, had shown promise as a gymnast during her youth but switched to dance after slipping a disc in her back as a teenager.

She was crowned Strictly Dance Fever champion after surviving a tense public vote to beat rivals Darren Bailey and Lana Williams. She had been a regular fixture on the nation's TV screens for two months, performing in front of an audience of millions.

Hollie and Darrien impressed the judges and voting public with their display of The Milonga and their freestyle dance. Judges awarded them a top score of 40 points in both dances.

Immediately after her win, life became a blur for Hollie. Her family fielded calls from magazines, TV shows and dance producers, all keen to feature the fledgling star.

Among Hollie's first public engagement was an appearance on Blue Peter, where she was given a Blue Peter badge. She chatted with presenters before being driven away for talks with the producers of West End hit Footloose about her appearance in the show.

Within weeks, Hollie had relocated to London so that she could pursue her career. However, she was quick to thank to thousands of Shropshire and Mid Wales people who had helped her to secure success by voting for her on Strictly Dance Fever.

Hollie, who was no stranger to dance competition victories and had previously been named the MTV Europe Shakedown winner, appeared in a string of pop videos, predominantly for hip hop artists.

She frequently returned to her native Shropshire, dining out with friends and family at The Cookhouse, in Bromfield, visiting the Hope House Hospice Shop, in Ludlow's King Street, to raise funds for charity, supporting a campaign to save Ludlow Hospital from closure. She gave other public appearances, including a performance of the Milonga at Ludlow Festival, a performance at Telford Shopping Centre and dance classes at Telford's Fitness First Gym.

Hollie appeared in Footloose during July 2006, wowing crowds alongside stars David Essex and Cheryl Baker at the Novello Theatre in London's West End.

Since then, she has continued to dazzle crowds. She scooped a starring role in the musical Fame, alongside Strictly Dance Fever partner Darrien. The tour ran for three months, opening in Nottingham and taking in performances in Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh and other locations. The show also featured How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? runner up Abi Finley.

Despite her increasingly-peripatetic lifestyle, Hollie remained in touch with her roots. She offered support to Shropshire dance troupe DNA when they announced plans to visit Los Angeles and later starred at Ludlow Carnival.

Hollie achieved a lifetime's ambition when she was asked to star in a Michael Jackson tribute show. Hollie landed a role in Thriller Live – The Musical Celebration, which played to venues across the UK and Holland during an eight-week tour.

She said: "I was inspired by Michael Jackson. He's my hero. I've wanted to do something connected with him throughout my life. To be playing in Thriller Live is a dream come true."

She continued to tour, perform, run dance classes across the UK and carry out public engagements, while acknowledging the debt she owed to Strictly Dance Fever. She also auditioned regularly in London and in the USA, after signing with an American agent.

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