EASTENDERS star Maisie Smith might have missed out on the glitterball, but she is the winner when it comes to a Strictly Come Dancing pay day.
The 19-year-old, who was beaten in last Saturday’s final by Bill Bailey, has reportedly been inundated with big-money offers that could net her a cool £1million within two years.
In the show’s 16-year history, it has propelled many of its contestants to giddy heights.
Here, we take a look at the top earners…
Alesha Dixon, series 5 (2007)
Worth: £2.9million
The former Mis-Teeq girlband member launched her TV career after winning the show in 2007.
Not only did she make her music comeback with a Platinum-selling album and a BRIT award nomination, she was picked to be part of the Strictly judging panel, replacing Arlene Phillips.
After three years on the panel, she was snatched by ITV for Britain’s Got Talent, for which she is said to be paid £450,000 a series.
But that is likely to go up after Simon Cowell was upset at discrepancies in pay between the female judges and David Walliams, who earned £1.5million.
She has said of her time on the show: “Strictly Come Dancing changed my life for sure.
“It was a turning point for me. I feel like I’ve lived my life in chapters and that was the start of something new.”
Zoe Ball, series 3 (2005)
Worth: £10million
Already a high-profile TV and radio presenter, Zoe’s credentials have rocketed even further since appearing on Strictly.
Now BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show host, Zoe received a £1million pay rise last year, taking her annual salary from £370,000 to £1.36million.
Her pay boost means she is now the Beeb’s highest paid star, taking over Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker after he accepted a pay cut.
In September though, it was reported that Zoe had asked for a pay cut after becoming uneasy at such a big wage hike.
She also hosts Strictly’s weeknight spin-off show, It Takes Two, and she presented the BBC’s Big Family Cooking Showdown. Zoe also recently appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with her son Woody.
The star and ex-husband Norman Cook – aka DJ FatBoy Slim – were estimated to be worth £20million in 2016 before they split.
James Martin, series 3 (2005)
Worth: £3.6million
In 2006, James was a cruise ship chef who had occasionally appeared on Ready Steady Cook.
His agent signed him up to Strictly without his knowledge and it turned out to be a golden opportunity.
James reached the semi-finals with pro partner Camilla Dallerup, and by the following March he was offered the presenting slot on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen.
By the time he left the Saturday morning cooking show in 2016, James’s earnings had increased by 40 times from what he started at, from £35,000 at the end of 2008 to £1.4million in 2014.
He said: “For nine years I had been knocking on doors and my CV was on a few desks at the BBC but after Strictly, everything went mad.”
James has also had his own motoring column, opened three restaurants as well as his own bakeries and is still presenting cookery shows.
Christine Lampard, series 6 (2008)
Worth: £2.5million
Christine Bleakley, as she was then, found fame on The One Show.
But after shining on Strictly in 2010 she moved to ITV to present Daybreak with Adrian Chiles, in what was said to be a £4million four-year deal.
It failed to succeed and the pair were replaced after a year.
Christine moved on to front Dancing on Ice, replacing Holly Willoughby, from 2011 to 2014.
It made her the highest-paid female TV presenter at the time, earning around £400 a minute.
Christine, who is married ex-footballer Frank Lampard with whom she shares their two-year-old daughter Patricia, is also a regular on Loose Women and steps in for presenting duties on This Morning and ITV’s Lorraine.
Susanna Reid, series 11 (2013)
Worth: Estimated up to £3.9million
When she entered the ballroom with pro partner Kevin Clifton, Susanna was a BBC Breakfast presenter.
But after coming runner-up, ITV quickly spotted her star potential and within months, had poached her for Good Morning Britain.
The mum-of three is said to earn £500,000 a year for the weekday breakfast programme, which she co-presents with Piers Morgan.
This year, Susanna, 50, also appeared on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox with Sun columnist and fellow Strictly contestant, Robert Rinder.
Alex Scott, series 17 (2019)
Worth: Projected to earn over £1million
Ex-Arsenal and England footballer Alex was well known in the sporting world.
After retiring from playing in 2017, she moved into punditry for the BBC, Sky Sports and BT Sport.
But Strictly has brought her a whole new audience.
Alex is set to replace Sue Barker on the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport which will reportedly propel her into the millionaires league.
She also co-hosted Sports Personality of the Year this month.
Alex’s accounts show she earned 700,000 last year, a huge leap from when she formed her company for TV work in 2015 and only earned £20,000.
Stacey Dooley, series 16 (2018)
Worth: £500,000
Before dancing her way to glory with Kevin Clifton, who is now her boyfriend, Stacey had carved out a career as an investigative journalist on BBC Three.
The show made her a household name, however, and inflated her bank balance by £125,000 to £350,000, according to her accounts this August.
Her winning personality took her from BBC Three obscurity and made her into a mainstream name.
After Strictly, Stacey has presented BBC Three’s make-up contest, Glow Up, EastEnders: Secrets from the Square and stepped in to host The One Show.
She has also become the new face of Clairol Nice ‘n’ Easy hair colour.
Abbey Clancy, series 11 (2013)
Worth: £2.6million
The 5’9″ WAG didn’t want to live off hubby Peter Crouch’s earnings. Instead, she has strived to make her own fortune.
She hot-footed her way to victory on Strictly with pro partner Aljaz Skorjanec.
Within two years of lifting the glitterball, the mum-of-four had quadrupled her income.
Such was her demand, she was handed a £250,000 lingerie deal with Ultimo, collections with Matalan, a perfume range with Avon. She has collaborated with high street giant Next and launched three lines with Lipsy.
She also became a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model in 2015 and 2017, which is where she first entered the limelight as runner up in 2006.
