Kevin Clifton has said he has “struggled” with media attention and his personal life.

The Strictly Come Dancing star has faced negative publicity following rumours of a romance with Stacey Dooley.

Clifton told the Daily Mirror that he has suffered a “massive upheaval” in his personal life in the past few years, but found a long-awaited Strictly victory with Dooley.

Speaking about the press coverage of his personal life, Clifton said: “It gets difficult and I’m not the best at dealing with it.”

He added: “In the last couple of years I’ve seen massive upheaval in my personal life and it hasn’t always been easy.

“There have been a lot of things thrown at me. At times I’ve struggled.

“And the times I’ve struggled and I was in a bit of a rut I didn’t know what to do.”

The dancer has been married three times, and split from his last wife Karen in 2018.

In April of 2019 rumours circulated that Clifton and Dooley had begun a relationship.

Clifton has credited Dooley for a career triumph after becoming disinterested in dance.

He said: “Thanks to Miss Stacey Dooley, I can finally say I’m the Strictly ­champion after six years of trying.

“It’s a miracle.”