She’s a popular choice among viewers to lift the glitter ball after winning over millions of Strictly fans as this year’s oldest contestant.
But one of Alex Kingston’s supporters is more high-profile than the rest – Boris Johnson.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the actress and former prime minister both live in the same South Oxfordshire village.
There, Ms Kingston, 62, has been inundated with support, with locals meeting in the village hall every Saturday and Sunday evening to watch the BBC show.
She even shares a personal trainer with Mr Johnson – a local fitness expert named Harrison, known in the village as ‘H’.
Mr Johnson, 61, who lives close to the star with his wife Carrie, 37, and their four children Wilfred, Romy, Frank and Poppy, told this newspaper: ‘Alex seems to be doing incredibly well. The whole village is behind her.’
A source added: ‘Boris is part of the community which has really got behind Alex. It’s lovely to see.’ Indeed, she is the talk of the village, which boasts thatched cottages and a medieval church.
She is also making headlines in the local newsletter, The Villager, with one recent article saying: ‘Out of all the many splendid autumn activities that the village is providing to cheer us all up, the one you absolutely must not miss is the live screenings of Strictly Come Dancing in the village hall.’
Alex Kingston (pictured) is a popular choice among viewers to lift the glitter ball after winning over millions of Strictly fans as this year’s oldest contestant
Alex has a high profile supporter in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured), 61, who lives close to the star with his wife Carrie, 37, and their four children Wilfred, Romy, Frank and Poppy
It goes on: ‘Someone very close to you has a lot of money on you winning. No pressure then. Good luck! I’m sure we will all be rooting for you.’
That ‘someone’ is Ms Kingston’s husband Jonathan Stamp, who has put a ‘rather large bet’ on her to win, with her early odds as high as 25/1. She’s now a 4/1 hope. The actress was previously married to A-list actor Ralph Fiennes between 1993 and 1997 and German writer Florian Haertel between 1998 and 2010.
A source said: ‘Alex had a very rocky love life until she met Jonathan. He absolutely adores her, and you can see that this is the great love of her life.
‘In many ways he saved her. He’s her biggest cheerleader and was by her side during everything she’s been through in the last few years.’ Last night Ms Kingston danced the Cha-cha-cha in a hot pink fringed dress and bandana to Ring My Bell by Anita Ward with partner Johannes Radebe.
There were fears that she might be forced to pull out of the show after dislocating a rib, but she confirmed last week that she would not be stepping down.
