BBC - Strictly Come Dancing 2009 - Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna: Video and bios of the Strictly contestants

Ali and Brian

Ali's progress

Week 10: Foxtrot 35 / 40
Week 9: Cha Cha - 35 / 40
Week 8: Viennese Waltz - 40 / 40
Week 7: Paso Doble - 33 / 40. Ali and Brian were then in the dance-off with Zoe Lucker and James Jordan, and were saved by the judges.
Week 6: American Smooth - 37 / 40
Week 5: Jive - 29 / 40
Week 4: Salsa - 32 / 40
Week 3: Quickstep - 32 / 40
Week 1 - Show 2: Rumba - 30 / 40
Week 1 - Show 1: Waltz - 30 / 40

View our weekly scoreboards gallery to see where Ali was placed.

You can join our Message Board to discuss Ali's progress too. strictlylover1 said: "I am new to this but love love love Brian and Ali of course. I think she dances so beautifully I just want to be her!!!""

Watch clips

Week 10: Judges' comments

High point

"If that was a pudding it was an angel delight"

Low point

"You actually stepped on Brian’s left toe"

About Ali

Stunning soap-star siren Ali Bastian has been getting temperatures soaring since her Hollyoaks debut in 2001. She recently swapped one series of sensational storylines for another, joining the straight and narrow to become a staple on Britain’s longest running and best-loved cop show, The Bill.

Ditching locked-up lags for sexy Strictly sambas, Ali will be taking to the dance floor with a commanding combination of grace, elegance and sex appeal.

Some crazy lifts would be amazing – it's a dream moment…

Ali Bastian

Originally hailing from Windsor, Ali is the epitome of an English rose. She made her first forays into TV with quintessentially English dramas such as Jane Eyre (when she was 10 years old) and A Touch Of Frost.

Ali is best known for playing Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2007. Becca's most controversial storyline in Hollyoaks saw her fired from her teaching job and sent to prison after having an affair with one of her students.

Brian Fortuna

Brian is just about to turn 27, and is 6’0”. His professional partner is Kristina Rihanoff, and his speciality is Latin.

Brian was born and raised in Philadelphia and is now based in Los Angeles. Both of his parents held nationally ranked titles in Ballroom and Latin.

He started dancing when he was 4 years old at his mother’s dance studio in New Jersey, and has danced in and hosted hundreds of various shows since then.

Since the last series of Strictly Come Dancing ended, Brian has been very busy. As well as spending some time back in New Jersey with his family, he's been touring the UK in shows with Kristina Rihanoff. Brian's also been working as a choreographer and producer on ‘Dancing On Wheels’, a new series for BBC Three featuring wheelchair dancing.