The one-time teacher of new dancing superstar Darren Bennett said today he was "ecstatic" when his former pupil won the final of television hit Strictly Come Dancing.Adrian Pritchard, who runs Pritchards Dance & Fitness Academy in Burleydam, near Whitchurch, taught Darren when he was a teenager as he was coming towards the end of his junior years.

A delighted Mr Pritchard talked to Darren the day after he won the competition.

He said Darren told him he was "absolutely over the moon" to have won, especially as he hadn't been feeling well last week.

"What a week to be ill!" said Mr Pritchard.

"I am so pleased for Darren because he always worked very hard as a kid and always wanted to improve.

"I had thought about going to the final but I couldn't because of a previous commitment.

"However, we made sure we had nothing on that evening and we were all glued to the television - it was very exciting!

"Overall I felt that the best couple won and I think he is excellent for the dance world. He is a true professional and has a good personality with the right attitude.

"He treats everyone he talks to exactly the same and we really are ecstatic because he's such a nice guy."

He added: "I was a little bit nervous after the first dance when they did the foxtrot because some of the marks were poor and they were putting pressure on the next dance.

"I never vote on these things but I've got to say that I did this time, and I definitely think it was the right result."

Mr Pritchard runs the dance and fitness academy with his wife Debi and the couple will be welcoming Darren and Lilia Kopyova, who was also a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, to a cabaret at their academy on January 15.

The couple will be performing a Latin showcase at the event.

The Pritchards are now trying to arrange a further date in the new year for Darren and Lilia to perform a dance demonstration for the children at the academy.

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