Natalie Lowe (born 15 August 1980) is an Australian ballroom dancer. She is a four-time Australian ballroom dance champion. Lowe competed on, and won, Australia's Dancing with the Stars with celebrity partner Anthony Koutoufides. She later joined the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. She competed on Strictly for seven series, leaving after the 2016 series concluded.
Natalie Lowe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 August 1980 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, choreographer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | James Knibbs |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editLowe grew up in Sydney, New South Wales. Lowe's family lived next door to a ballroom dance studio. At age 5, Lowe began taking dance lessons after watching her older brother and sister dance. Lowe went on to become a four-time Australian ballroom dance Champion.[1]
Career
editAustralia's Dancing with the Stars
editShe joined Seven Network's Dancing with the Stars in 2004, partnering athlete Matt Shirvington. She then partnered Ian Roberts, and won the 2006 series with AFL footballer Anthony Koutoufides. Lowe then partnered Home and Away actor Tim Campbell, and, in 2008, partnered boxer Danny Green.
| Series | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Shirvington | 5th |
| 2 | Ian Roberts | 2nd |
| 5 | Anthony Koutoufides | 1st |
| 6 | Tim Campbell | 3rd |
| 8 | Danny Green | 2nd |
| 20 | James Magnussen | 10th |
Strictly Come Dancing
editHighest and lowest scoring performances per dance
| Dance | Partner | Highest | Partner | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | Ricky Whittle | 36 | Scott Maslen | 31 |
| Cha-Cha-Cha | 38 | Tim Wonnacott | 18 | |
| Charleston | Scott Maslen | 35 | 17 | |
| Foxtrot | Ricky Whittle | 39 | Audley Harrison | 25 |
| Argentine tango | Michael Vaughan | 26 | ||
| Jive | Scott Maslen | 15 | ||
| Paso Doble | Scott Maslen Ricky Whittle |
35 | Tim Wonnacott | 19 |
| Quickstep | Ricky Whittle | 40 | Audley Harrison | 24 |
| Rumba | 32 | Greg Rutherford | 26 | |
| Salsa | Scott Maslen Ricky Whittle |
Audley Harrison | 23 | |
| Samba | Michael Vaughan | 24 | ||
| Tango | 35 | Ainsley Harriott | 20 | |
| Viennese Waltz | Scott Maslen | 39 | Audley Harrison | 27 |
| Waltz | Ricky Whittle | 38 | Michael Vaughan Audley Harrison |
20 |
| Showdance | 39 | - | - |
In 2009, Lowe competed as a new professional dancer on the seventh series of the original British version of Strictly Come Dancing, partnering Hollyoaks' Ricky Whittle. Lowe joined the show with fellow newcomers Aliona Vilani and Katya Virshilas. After their first dance together in front of the judges, Lowe and Whittle were described by head judge Len Goodman as maybe the most formidable couple Strictly Come Dancing had ever seen. Even so, Lowe and Whittle finished second. Lowe competed in the 2010 series partnering Scott Maslen. Lowe and Maslen were eliminated in the semi-final of the competition along with Gavin Henson and Katya Virshilas.
On 15 June 2011, the BBC announced that Lowe would again be one of the professional dancers in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing.[2] She was partnered by Audley Harrison (champion boxer) and they were the sixth couple to leave.[3] In the 2012 tenth series her partner was former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan; they placed 7th. In 2013, it was revealed that Lowe would return for the eleventh series; however she suffered a foot injury during training and was replaced by Aliona Vilani.[4] Lowe returned for the twelfth series, as partner to television presenter Tim Wonnacott. In March 2015 Lowe won comic relief special, 'The People's Strictly', with veteran, Cassidy Little. She also participated in the thirteenth series main series of the show and was partnered with celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott.[5] Harriott and Lowe were eliminated in the fifth week of competition.[6] Lowe then competed again with Little in the 2015 Christmas Special. In Series 14 she was partnered with Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford. On May 4, 2017, Lowe announced her departure from the show after seven series.[7]
| Series | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Ricky Whittle | 2nd |
| 8 | Scott Maslen | 4th |
| 9 | Audley Harrison | 9th |
| 10 | Michael Vaughan | 7th |
| 12 | Tim Wonnacott | 13th |
| 13 | Ainsley Harriott | 12th |
| 14 | Greg Rutherford | 7th |
Strictly Come Dancing performances
editSeries 7 – with celebrity dance partner Ricky Whittle
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 2 | Waltz / "It Is You (I Have Loved)" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 41 | Safe |
| Rumba / "Stepping Stone" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 40 | ||
| 3 | Paso Doble / "Spanish Gypsy Dance" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 44 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Dancing Machine" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 40 | Safe |
| 5 | Viennese Waltz / "How Can I Be Sure" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 45 | Safe |
| 6 | Samba / "Good Lovin'" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 40 | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "Down with Love" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 49 | Safe |
| 8 | Tango / "You Really Got Me" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 44 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Rip It Up (Little Richard song)" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 43 | Safe |
| 10 | American Smooth / "Over The Rainbow" | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 45 | Safe |
| 11 | Rock'n'Roll / "Hound Dog" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 39 | Bottom two |
| 12 | Foxtrot / "Too Marvelous for Words" Cha-Cha-Cha / "Sunshine of Your Love" |
9 9 |
9 10 |
10 9 |
10 10 |
10 9 |
48 47 |
Bottom two |
| 13 | Waltz / "Kissing You" Argentine Tango / "Verano Porteno" |
9 9 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
47 49 |
Safe |
| 14 | Quickstep / "Down with Love" Lindy Hop / "Sing with a Swing" Cha-Cha-Cha / "Sunshine of Your Love" Showdance / "Last Dance" |
10 8 9 10 |
10 8 10 9 |
10 9 9 10 |
10 9 10 10 |
10 9 10 10 |
50 43 48 49 |
Runners-Up |
Series 8 – with celebrity dance partner Scott Maslen
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | None |
| 2 | Salsa / "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango / "Allegretto" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 5 | Viennese Waltz / "I Put a Spell on You" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 6 | Rhumba / "Wishing on a Star" | 4 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 28 | Safe |
| 7 | Jive / "Hit the Road Jack" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba / "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 32 | Safe |
| 9 | American Smooth / "Fly Me to the Moon" | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 31 | Safe |
| 10 | Paso Doble / "James Bond Theme" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Bottom two |
| 11 | Argentine Tango / "Época" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 33 | Eliminated |
| Swing-athon / "In the Mood" | Awarded | 2 | Extra | Points | 35 | ||
| Charleston / "Anything Goes" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | ||
Series 9 – with celebrity dance partner Audley Harrison
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / " Angel" | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 20 | None |
| 2 | Salsa / Don't Stop Till You Get Enough | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 | Bottom two |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Too Darn Hot" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 24 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 25 | Safe |
| 5 | Jive / " Little Shop of Horrors Prologue" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | Bottom two |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "I'm with You" | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | Eliminated |
Series 10 – with celebrity dance partner Michael Vaughan
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 20 | None |
| 2 | Jive / "This Ole House" | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 15 | Safe |
| 3 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Hot Stuff" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 19 | Bottom Two |
| 4 | Quickstep / "That Old Black Magic" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 31 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 6 | Salsa / "I Want You Back" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 7 | American Smooth / " New York, New York" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | Safe |
| 8 | Argentine Tango / "Bust Your Windows" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 | Bottom Two |
| 9 | Samba / "Tequila" | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 24 | Eliminated |
Series 12 – with celebrity dance partner Tim Wonnacott
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Osmond | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Shop Around" | 3 | 5 | _ | 5 | 5 | 18 | None |
| 2 | Waltz / "When You Wish upon a Star" | 5 | 6 | _ | 6 | 6 | 23 | Safe |
| 3 | Charleston / "Money Money" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 22 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "The Best" | 3 | 6 | _ | 5 | 5 | 19 | Eliminated |
Series 13 – with celebrity dance partner Ainsley Harriott
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "Voulez-Vous" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 | None |
| 2 | Salsa / "Don't Touch My Tomatoes" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 | Safe |
| 3 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Boogie Wonderland" | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | Bottom two |
| 4 | Waltz / "What a Wonderful World" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 | Safe |
| 5 | Jive / "Shake, Rattle and Roll" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | Eliminated |
Series 14 - with celebrity dance partner Greg Rutherford
edit| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Get Ready" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Tango / " Jump" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 3 | American Smooth / "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Wrapped Up" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 5 | Cha-cha-cha / "We Found Love" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Safe |
| 6 | Rumba / "Bring Me to Life" | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 26 | Safe |
| 7 | Viennese Waltz / "You Don't Own Me" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "Tamacun" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Bottom Two |
| 9 | Quickstep / "Hand Jive" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Eliminated |
Other projects
editBeginning in 2005, Lowe joined the cast of the ballroom dance stage show Burn the Floor.[8] Lowe toured with the show for five years.[9] In March 2013, Lowe launched FitSteps, a dance inspired fitness program, with fellow Strictly professional dancer Ian Waite and former Strictly celebrity Mark Foster.[10]
Personal life
editIn October 2015, Lowe announced her engagement to company director James Knibbs.[11] Lowe first met Knibbs when they sat opposite each other on a train ride to London.[11] Lowe married Knibbs in July 2018.[12] Lowe gave birth to a baby boy, Jack, in December 2019.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Up close and personal with Strictly's finest". Ashbourne News Telegraph. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ BBC Press Release 15 June 2011
- ^ "Audley Harrison Leaves Strictly Come Dancing". www.bbc.co.uk. 13 November 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ^ Daisy Buchanan (2 September 2013). "Strictly Come Dancing pro Aliona Vilani returns to the show, replacing injured Natalie Lowe - Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "Daniel is hoping for Strictly six-pack". RTE Ten. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ Hogan, Michael (26 October 2015). "Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Ainsley Harriott says goodbye and what has happened to Bruno?". Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ Percival, Ash (4 May 2017). "'Strictly Come Dancing' Shock As A Favourite Pro Dancer Quits". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ "Natalie Lowe - My Story". Retrieved 1 October 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Uk Dance Elite Championship | Judges". ukdanceelitechampionship.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "FitSteps: brand-new fitness routine created by Strictly Come Dancing stars Ian Waite, Natalie Lowe and Mark Foster". Ashbourne News Telegraph. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Strictly Come Dancing star Natalie Lowe announces engagement". Hello!. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Strictly's Natalie Lowe marries James Knibbs in star-studded Australian wedding – full story". HELLO!. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Dosani, Rishma (7 December 2019). "Strictly Come Dancing's Natalie Lowe welcomes baby boy with husband James Knibbs". Metro. Retrieved 8 December 2019.