Louie Spence (born 6 April 1969) is an English

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...

and television personality, best known for the TV show '' Pineapple Dance Studios''. He was a professional dancer in his youth, performing in West End

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

including ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...

'', ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...

'', and '' Closer to Heaven''. ''Pineapple Dance Studios'' was sold around the world and has aired on the US network Ovation since 28 September 2014.

Early life and education

Spence was born in

Ponders End Ponders End is the southeasternmost part of Enfield, north London, centred on the Hertford Road. Situated to the west of the River Lee Navigation, it became industrialised through the 19th century, similar to the Lea Valley in neighbouring E ...

, Enfield in the north of Greater London and grew up in Braintree, Essex. He attended Notley High School before moving on to the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

Career

Dance

Spence performed in the West End as part of the award-winning original cast of ''

''. He went on to perform in ''

'' and '' Closer to Heaven'', and performed with a number of pop acts including the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

, Take That and

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

Television

From 2004 to 2006, Spence was a judge and mentor on Trouble TV's ''Bump'n'Grind''. Shortly after, Spence became a judge on the television series '' Cirque de Celebrité'' on

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

from 2006 to 2007 and the American version '' Celebrity Circus'' for NBC in 2008. In 2009, Spence was artistic director of the Covent Garden Pineapple Dance Studios when he appeared on a docu-soap '' Pineapple Dance Studios'' beginning 14 February 2010 which was a huge hit. However, after initially indicating that a second series would be produced, Sky1 reverted this decision, due to failing to come to terms with studio owner Debbie Moore. Spence was then given his own

series, ''

Louie Spence's Showbusiness ''Louie Spence's Showbusiness'' is a docusoap follow-up series to the hit show '' Pineapple Dance Studios''. After initially indicating that a second series of ''Pineapple Dance Studios'' would be produced, Sky1 reverted this decision due to fail ...

'' in 2011; however, with the loss of the brand name, the show failed to take off and was cancelled after one series. In 2011, Spence shot his own TV show in New York City for the

OWN Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

network owned by

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

. On 3 December 2011, it was announced Spence would become a new judge on the ITV show ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their prof ...

'' with Robin Cousins, Katarina Witt and

Karen Barber Karen Barber (born 21 June 1961 in Manchester) is a British ice dancer Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Cham ...

. On 22 August 2013, Spence entered the '' Celebrity Big Brother'' house to participate in the twelfth series. On the first day, he was chosen to be a 'Cult celebrity' meaning he had the power to nominate housemates for the first eviction. Throughout his time in the house, Spence survived three evictions, however he was evicted two days before the final. Beginning on 1 February 2015, Spence took part in the second series of reality programme '' The Jump'' and was eliminated on Day 2. In August 2018, Spence took part in '' Celebs on the Farm'', and was eliminated on day 9.

Autobiography

On 29 September 2011, Spence released his autobiography, ''Still Got It, Never Lost It!'', which was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

Filmography

;Television ;Guest appearances *'' Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (11 March 2010) – Guest *''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...

'' (18 March 2010, 25 March 2010, 21 April 2011, 19 April 2012) – Panelist *'' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' (23 April 2010) – Guest *'' Justin Lee Collins Good Times'' (14 June 2010) – Guest *'' Top Gear'' (27 June 2010) – Guest *'' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' (4 July 2010) – Guest *'' Shooting Stars'' (17 August 2010) – Guest *'' 8 Out of 10 Cats'' (24 September 2010, 28 October 2011, 22 June 2012, 29 October 2012) – Panelist *'' Chris Moyles' Quiz Night'' (8 November 2010, 26 December 2011) – Panelist *'' The Alan Titchmarsh Show'' (25 November 2010, 15 March 2011, 24 October 2011, 29 February 2012, 4 March 2013) – Guest *''

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotel ...

'' (26 December 2010) – Marvin *'' Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' (3 January 2011) – Guest *'' That Sunday Night Show'' (6 February 2011, 30 October 2011) – Panelist *''

Let's Dance for Comic Relief ''Let's Sing and Dance'', formerly known as ''Let's Dance'', is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charities Comic Relief and Sport Relief. The program ...

'' (12 March 2011, 10 March 2012) – Panelist and guest *''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'' (28 March 2011, 29 September 2011, 16 January 2012, 2 July 2012, 23 October 2012) – Guest *'' Would I Lie to You?'' (23 September 2011) – Panelist *''

The Jonathan Ross Show ''The Jonathan Ross Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, ''Friday Night with Jona ...

'' (24 September 2011) – Guest *'' Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (3 October 2011) – Panelist *'' The Sarah Millican Television Programme'' (5 April 2012) – Guest *'' Mad Mad World'' (11 August 2012) – Panelist *''

Celebrity Wedding Planner ''Celebrity Wedding Planner'' is a British reality television series that premiered on Channel 5 on 6 January 2012. The series revolves around brides-to-be handing over the planning of their wedding to a surprise celebrity or celebrity pairing ...

'' (20 August 2012) *'' Russell Howard's Good News'' (11 October 2012) – Guest/Cameo *'' All Star Family Fortunes'' (13 January 2013) – Contestant *'' Tipping Point: Lucky Stars'' (14 July 2013) – Contestant *'' Backchat'' (11 December 2013) – Guest *''

Britain's Got More Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

'' – Multiple guest appearances *'' Celebrity Come Dine with Me'' (27 December 2013) – Contestant *'' Fake Reaction'' (9 January 2014) – Panelist *'' Draw It!'' (19–26 May 2014) – Contestant *'' A Question of Sport: Super Saturday'' (21 June 2014) – Guest *'' The Chase: Celebrity Special'' (1 November 2014) – Contestant *'' Pointless Celebrities'' (15 & 29 November 2014) – Contestant *'' Through the Keyhole'' (26 December 2014 & 2015) – Celebrity homeowner/panelist *'' The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz'' (2 January 2015) – Guest *'' Mel and Sue'' (13 February 2015) – Guest *'' Safeword'' (6 August 2015) – Guest *''

Celebrity Fifteen to One ''Celebrity Fifteen to One'' is a celebrity version of the Channel 4 game show '' Fifteen to One''. William G. Stewart presented the first two episodes, which were Christmas specials that aired on 27 December 1990 and 30 December 1992. Adam Hill ...

'' (28 August 2015) – Contestant *''

Who's Doing the Dishes? ''Who's Doing the Dishes?'' is a cooking game show that aired on ITV from 1 September 2014 to 14 October 2016. It is hosted by Brian McFadden Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and television presenter w ...

'' (10 September 2015) – Celebrity cook *'' A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun'' (16 January 2017) *'' The Crystal Maze'' (23 January 2017) Stand up to Cancer Special – Contestant *'' Celebrity Money for Nothing'' (September 2017) – * Tenable All Stars Christmas Special (26 December 2019) - Contestant

References

External links

Louie Spence's Official websiteLouie Spence at Pineapple Dance Studios
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Louie 1969 births Living people English male dancers English choreographers English television personalities LGBT dancers LGBT people from England People from Braintree, Essex People from Ponders End LGBT broadcasters from the United Kingdom Gay entertainers