Rav Wilding & Aliona Vilani: Video and bios of the Strictly contestants

• Week 3: Rav danced a Quickstep and scored 20 / 40

• Week 3: Rav and Aliona were then in the dance off with Lynda Bellingham and Darren Bennett, and it was left to the judges to decide their fate. But with Craig, Alesha and Bruno all saving Lynda, it became clear that Rav would be the third celebrity to leave the dancefloor.

• Week 1 - Show 2: Rav was in the dance off competing for his place against Martina Hingis. Rav was saved by judges Craig Revel Horwood, Alesha Dixon and Len Goodman and stayed in the competition.

• Week 1 - Show 2: Rav danced a Rumba and scored 22 / 40

• Week 1 - Show 1: Rav danced a Tango and scored 19 / 40

Asked after his elimination if he would do it all again a disappointed Rav said; "I’m not going to get the chance, but yes I’d loved too."

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

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With his exotic good looks there’s no doubt the former military man and detective constable will be sporting a uniform of a different kind this autumn as he dons elegant tuxedos, tight sexy trousers and shirts slashed to the waist as he hopes to dance his way to victory on Strictly Come Dancing.

Rav was born in Canterbury, Kent and is the second of five children. His Mauritian father and English mother were both nurses when they met. After finishing secondary school, 17 year old Rav joined the British Army. His career was cut short four years later after he broke his leg during a training run.

In 1999, Rav successfully applied to join the Metropolitan Police and was posted to Peckham, South London. Whilst serving there, Rav was involved in the high profile police investigation surrounding the death of Damiola Taylor.

Rav underwent numerous interviews and auditions and presenter training classes before being offered the part on Crimewatch in 2004, which he continues to present today. Rav took a sabbatical from the police force in 2008 to concentrate on TV work, and is now a regular reporter on crime issues for The One Show.

Rav has a girlfriend called Lauren. They both find the idea of him being a pin-up hilarious. "It’s a bit silly really, I don’t think too much about it. Friends say there are fansites on the web about me, but I don’t pay much attention. It’s flattering, but my feet are on the ground."

At the age of 5, Aliona was enrolled in Arts Gymnasium for classical ballet and performing arts. She started ballroom dancing in Russia when she turned 11 years old. Soon after this she began making the finals in Eastern European competitions.

In 1997, Aliona was invited to go to the United States to be a member of the Kaiser Dance Academy in Brooklyn, New York. It was here that she started learning Salsa, Hip Hop and Jazz in the prestigious Broadway Dance Center in New York.

In 2001, Aliona was selected by the National Dance Congress to be a part of the US team in the Ballroom category that competed against the World Teams and won the Amateur Ballroom category for the US.

Aliona moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and has continued competing, dancing shows and teaching there since.