Strictly’s musical director Dave Arch’s private life

As the musical director of Strictly Come DancingDave Arch is the man in charge of making the magic happen every week. The 61 year old pianist, composer and conductor has worked on the BBC show since 2006 and fronts the in-house orchestra, providing the soundtracks for the performances in the iconic ballroom.

He began his career after studying at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before going on to become a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He plays jazz piano at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club with vocalist Madeline Bell, and, as a pianist, he’s worked on films including The Imitation Game, Gravity, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Harry Potter.

In 2016, he released his own debut album, titled Coming Home, and he’s also recorded with superstar artists including Tina Turner, Elton John and Paul McCartney. As well as working on Strictly, Dave is musical director for recent productions of the Royal Variety Performance as well as shows like Stepping Out and Popstar to Operastar. According to the Daily Mail, Dave was worth £2.5 million in 2016, with estimated yearly earnings of £300,000.

Away from screens, Dave has kept his private life out of the spotlight. However, we do know that he’s married and shares two sons and one daughter with his wife and they live in Hertfordshire. Despite being happily married, Strictly fans once speculated that he was in a relationship with co-host Claudia Winklemanbut the pair are just friends and have been for years.

Claudia often gives him shout outs during live shows, and previously called him “wonderful”. She said: “Our wonderful Dave Arch was honoured this week with a honorary degree from The Prestigious Skills Hall, which is absolutely extraordinary. So I think we should have a round of applause. We love him. Congratulations to Dave.”

One episode even saw the pair dressed as bride and groom, which left viewers in stitches. Claudia, 52, who has been married to film producer Kris Thykier since 2000, also joked that her “fantasy” dance would be a “three-way” samba with Dave and her co-presenter Tess Daly. During an interview she discussed her ideal dance partners if she was to perform a routine.

She said: “An Argentine tango with Vincent Simone. But my main fantasy dance is a three-way samba with Tess and Dave Arch. I’m talking big feathered dresses and three of us doing samba rolls in unison. I’ll leave that image with you. Sorry if you feel nauseous.”

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