BBC - Strictly Come Dancing 2009 - Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas: Video and bios of the Strictly contestants

Phil and Katya

Phil's progress

Week 9: American Smooth - 31 / 40. Phil and Katya were then in the dance-off with Ricky Groves and Erin Boag, but were not saved by the judges.
Week 8: Rumba - 28 / 40
Week 7: Tango - 30 / 40
Week 6: Samba - 25 / 40
Week 5: Viennese waltz - 27 / 40
Week 4: Salsa - 24 / 40
Week 3: Quickstep - 24 / 40
Week 2 - Show 2: Cha Cha - 22 / 40
Week 2 - Show 1: Waltz - 29 / 40

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

You can join our Message Board to discuss Phil's journey.

Read our News Section to get all the drama of Strictly.

Watch clips

Week 9: Judges' comments

High point

"I see a change of attitude, no more the cheeky sort of charmer... I thought you did a very good job."

Low point

"I was marginally disappointed...it wasn't show-y enough..."

Phil Tufnell

Housewives’ favourite and all-round cheeky chappy, Phil ‘The Cat’ Tufnell is nothing short of an English cricketing legend.

To some he was the Bad Boy of English cricket; outspoken and anti-establishment. To most he was one of the finest, most exhilarating spin-bowlers to have worn the three lions shirt in recent years, playing in numerous test matches and one day internationals. His wisecracking, wide-boy, craggy-faced image made him a folk hero to the traveling Barmy Army of cricket fans.

Immensely charismatic, Phil promises to be as competitive and spirited on Strictly as he is when battling against former SCD finalist Matt Dawson on Question of Sport.

I hope I’m not put into anything sleeveless for Show One..!

Phil Tufnell

Phil made his debut for Middlesex in 1986 and four seasons later was awarded his County Cap. He enjoyed an illustrious two-decade career for Middlesex, taking more than 1,000 first class wickets, a remarkable feat achieved by only three other Englishmen.

Known more for his bowling than his batting, his international high point came during the final Test against Australia at the Oval in 1997 in which he took 11 wickets for 93 runs to secure an England win.

Retiring from professional cricket at the start of the 2003 season, Phil was jungle bound and appeared in the second series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here. The public fell for Phil’s cheeky manner and he was crowned King of the Jungle. Phil has also appeared on Celebrity Masterchef, was a team captain on the BBC sports quiz show They Think It's All Over and currently reports for the BBC's The One Show.

He has two nicknames: ‘Tuffers’ and ‘Cat’. His ‘Cat’ nickname comes from his ability to sleep any time and in any place!

Katya Virshilas

Katya is 25 years old and 5’6”. She is an experienced all-round dancer and actress, and names Ballroom, Latin, Swing, Mambo and Salsa as her specialities.

Katya was born in Lithuania in 1983. At the age of six, her family moved to Israel and Katya started to dance, training in Jazz, Ballet and Modern Dance. At 13, Katya and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada.

Katya competed in and won numerous championships, including being the youngest-ever British Columbian Latin Dance Champion at the age of 16.

She co-choreographed, trained, and danced in the iconic Tango dance sequence from ‘Take The Lead’ with Antonio Banderas, from which the signature image of the movie was taken.

After watching Katya in that Hollywood film, top Bollywood choreographer Shiamak Davar asked her to conduct Latin dance workshops across India.

She also performed in Shiamak Davar's stage production, ‘I Believe’, which drew more than 60,000 spectators; and had a guest appearance on ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (India’s version of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’).