BBC - Strictly Come Dancing 2009 - Natalie Cassidy & Vincent Simone: Video and bios of the Strictly contestants

Natalie and Vincent

Natalie's progress

Week 10: Samba - 26 / 40
Week 9: Foxtrot - 34 / 40
Week 8: Quickstep - 31 / 40
Week 7: Jive - 30 / 40
Week 6: American Smooth - 29 / 40
Week 5: Viennese waltz - 27 / 40
Week 4: Salsa - 29 / 40
Week 3: Paso Doble - 28 / 40
Week 2 - Show 2: Cha Cha - 26 / 40
Week 2 - Show 1: Tango - 24 / 40

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

You can join our Message Board to discuss Natalie's progress too. vincentsmojo1 said: "I love watching Natalie and Vincent dancing, they are complete joy to watch I love their relationship this year. Natalie isn't the best technically dancers on the show but at less Natalie brings her personality and gives a true performances when she is dancing"

Watch clips

Week 10: Judges' comments

High point

"You did a good job"

Low point

"I was watching your mouth… it was a little bit like a venus fly trap"

Natalie Cassidy

The multi-talented and universally loved Natalie Cassidy grew up in front of the nation portraying the endearing, trumpet-playing Sonia Fowler in EastEnders.

An audience favourite, Natalie won acclaim and awards for portraying meaty and controversial storylines that still live long in the public memory. These include giving birth without realising she was pregnant, having her daughter adopted only to later abduct her, marrying twice, becoming a widow and conducting a lesbian affair with one of her fellow nursing students. Walford life was never quiet for Sonia!

My biggest fear is falling down those stairs at the top of the show!

Natalie Cassidy

She has since displayed much versatility and achieved great success with theatrical roles alongside Prunella Scales and Diana Rigg, record breaking DVDs, documentary making and character roles on TV. An enormous Strictly fan she is full of fighting talk and counting down the hours until training begins: "I'm in it to win it!"

A 10-year-old trumpet-playing Sonia Jackson arrived in Albert Square in 1993 as part of a new family: The Jacksons. She fell in love with Martin Fowler, whom she eventually married. Despite a rocky relationship, the couple left the square together (to travel around America) in February 2007. Natalie hasn't ruled out the possibility of one day returning to the soap.

In 2002 19-year-old Natalie lost her mother to bowel cancer. From then on she became extremely close to her EastEnders co-star Wendy Richard, often referring to her as her 'second mum'. Sadly Wendy died in February 2009, having lost her battle with cancer.

Vincent Simone

Vincent is 30 years old and 5'6", but what he lacks in height he makes up for in his fiery passion! His professional partner is Flavia Cacace - they have been dancing together for 13 years and turned professional in 2001. His speciality is the Ten Dance/Argentine Tango.

Vincent was born in Southern Italy, in a town called Foggia. He lived there with his mother Anna, father Gaspare and his younger sister Alessandra.

All of Vincent’s family are dancers and so his career is something that he says "was bound to happen as dancing is such a massive part of Italian life". His parents are both professional teachers in both Ballroom and Latin, and his sister also dances.

At 16, Vincent became the Italian Youth Champion. This was the turning point for him, as he realised that his level was too high to stay competing just in Southern Italy. He was having dance lessons in Guildford at the same school as Flavia when it was suggested that they try out together.

Vincent and Flavia have been extremely successful on the competition circuit. They have an impressive list of titles between them, both on an amateur and professional level. They now teach many singles and couples alike, and it takes up a huge amount of their time.