Who won the first-ever series of Strictly Come Dancing and where are they now?

The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing is returning to our screens on Saturday evening (September 14) as it launches its 2024 series.

Over the past two decades, the primetime show has grown enormously popular with an all-star cast of 15 contestants waltzing across the dancefloor in a bid to win the coveted Glitterball Trophy.

But when the show launched 20 years ago, there were only eight celebrities in the competition who were matched with a professional dance partner.

The Strictly Ballroom first opened its doors during the summer of 2004 and was presented by Tess Daly and legendary TV host Bruce Forsyth.

The show's original pairs included: David Dickinson and Camilla Dallerup, Lesley Garrett and Anton du Beke, Verona Joseph and Paul Killick, Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole, Martin Offiah and Erin Boag, Christopher Parker and Hanna Karttunen, Claire Sweeney and John Byrnes, and Jason Wood and Kylie Jones.

Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli made up the original judging panel. But it was newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky who was the first celebrity to ever take the Strictly crown after winning with partner Brendan Cole.

She received the highest mark for eight of the ten dances featured in the series and eventually finished 39 points ahead of the other finalist, actor Christopher Parker.

Arlene Phillips said of her: "You are the coolest, the hottest, you are a Strictly Come Dancing ballroom star."

Before Natasha, now 52, took part in Strictly, she started her successful career on a chat show called F2F for Granada Talk TV in 1996.

The broadcaster then moved to present early morning news bulletins at Meridian before co-presenting Meridian Tonight just six months later.

In 1999, she moved to ITV's London News Network and one year later she joined Sky News where she co-presented Live at Five and Sunrise.

In 2002, she joined the BBC on BBC Breakfast from Monday to Thursday alongside Dermot Murnaghan, before moving on the host the BBC News at Six.

Following her stint on Strictly in 2004, Natasha then became only the third - and youngest - woman to present the BBC's Ten O'Clock News in 2006.

The TV star then joined Channel 5 in 2008 before moving across to ITV in 2011 where she remains as a newsreader. Natasha has also fronted a series of factual programmes including The People's Medal, On the Run and Missing Without Trace

In 2017, she was awarded an OBE for her services to the Holocaust Commission and is also the president of the British Board of Film Classification.

Strictly Come Dancing starts on Saturday, September 14, with the pre-recorded launch show airing on BBC One from 6.35pm to 8.20pm.