Stefan Dennis has flown halfway across the world to take part in Strictly Come Dancing – and there will definitely be some viewers swooning.
Stefan is a heartthrob of the 1980s and has been on TV screens in Australian soap Neighbours for 40 years. But when it comes to dancing live in front of millions of Brits, the actor admits he is “petrified”.
Although many will all know Stefan from Neighbours, do they really know the man behind the Ramsay Street baddie?
Here, we take a deep dive into the life of Strictly Come Dancing 2025 star Stefan Dennis, including his age, who he is married to and the family tragedy that has shaped his life.
Who is Stefan Dennis? How old is he?
Stefan Dennis was born in Tawonga in Victoria, Australia, on October 30, 1958. This makes him 66 years old. Stefan’s family relocated to the Gold Coast when he was a small child.
Stefan developed an interest to performing in childhood. When he was 11, he was cast in a local amateur production of Oliver!. Stefan attended Southport State High School and, on the weekends, would perform with his brother at charity events and weddings.
Once he had left school, Stefan had plans to become a chef. He completed a five-year culinary apprenticeship, but soon decided his true love remained with the arts. He moved to Melbourne in pursuit of a career as a performer.
Stefan’s big break
Stefan landed his first acting role in 1978 in an Australian police drama series called Cop Shop. He went on to appear in a string of television shows, with small roles in The Flying Doctors, Infinity Limited and The Henderson Kids.
But his big break came thanks to Neighbours – and it is what he’s most known for. Stefan joined the cast in 1985 as ruthless businessman and womaniser, Paul Robinson.
He continued playing the character until 1992, before leaving to pursue other projects. He made a brief return a year later, before bowing out again. Stefan reprised the role of Paul in 2004 and stayed put for the next 21 years.
Over the years, Stefan’s character Paul has been involved in plenty of big storylines. He has been married six times and infamously lost his shares in hotel chain Lassiters. In 2008, Paul suffered memory loss after having a brain tumour removed. He initially appeared more compassionate and kind but it was short-lived. Paul soon returned to his callous ways.
Stefan previously described Paul as a “sneaky b*****d” and a “smiling baddie”. He recently filmed his final scenes as Paul, as the show comes to an end after four decades. The last scenes will air this December on Prime Video.
Forgotten Scottish soap role
During Stefan’s 11-year hiatus from Neighbours (from 1993 to 2004), he headed to the UK. While here, he bagged a main role in the BBC’s River City, which was filmed in Glasgow.
Stefan later landed roles in BBC medical drama Casualty and ITV‘s The Bill. Making the most of his popularity in the UK, Stefan also starred in multiple pantomimes, including shows in Aberdeen, Bournemouth and London.
During the early years, Stefan also dabbled in a pop career. In 1989, he released two singles, Don’t It Make You Feel Good and This Love Affair. But despite initial success in the UK charts with his first song landing at No 16, his second charted at Number 67. In 2013, he sang in a music video for his Neighbours co-star Alan Fletcher. He was dressed as Father Christmas.
Who is Stefan Dennis married to?
Stefan is married to Scottish wife, Gail Easdale. The couple fell for each other while appearing in a pantomime together. Gail is a professional dancer and also an actress. She even starred in Neighbours very briefly in 1985. The couple have three children; two sons – Declan and Cameron – and daughter Darci.
Prior to meeting Gail, Stefan was married to first wife Roz Roy. Roz was working as a model and a host for The Price is Right at the time. They were married from 1979 to 1989. Stefan dated his Neighbours co-stars Natalie Imbruglia and Gayle Blakeney (one of the Alessi twins) during the 90s.
Who is Stefan Dennis’ daughter?
Two of Stefan’s children have followed in the footsteps of their Neighbours alumni parents. In 2020, Stefan’s son Declan was cast in a guest role as teen baddie Louis Curtain. Two years later, Stefan’s daughter Darci also made a cameo in the soap.
Where does Stefan Dennis live?
Stefan and his family live in Melbourne, Australia. But he describes Scotland as his “second home”. His wife Gail and her family hail from Glasgow and the couple married at Borthwick Castle. “I call Scotland my second home. It’s where my wife and her family come from,” Stefan said in 2022.
Stefan’s love of the UK means he hasn’t batted an eyelid at flying 10,000 miles from Australia to appear on Strictly Come Dancing.
Family tragedy
Stefan has dedicated his life to raising awareness of drink-driving following the tragic death of his older brother. John Dennis was just 12 years old when he was knocked off his bike and killed by an intoxicated driver. The driver was fined just $200 Australian dollars (£98).
Stefan spoke about his family heartbreak on Channel 5‘s The Jeremy Vine Show in 2019. He revealed he had been fighting for tougher punishments to be handed to drink-drivers in Australia and called for the same in the UK.
He told Jeremy: “My brother was killed by a drink-driver when he was 12 years old on his bicycle.” Revealing the shocking fine the driver received, he added: “That same weekend somebody killed a koala. They weren’t drunk but because koalas are protected species, they got something like five times that fine.”
Stefan continued: “The repercussions of somebody’s actions of getting behind the wheel on drugs or drink is devastating to the people involved. This happened decades and decades ago, but it still affects me. In fact, I’m more affected today than I was back then, because I was just a little kid then.”
Stefan’s Strictly signing
Stefan Dennis was the 12th celebrity to be announced for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. He has since been partnered with fellow Aussie, Dianne Buswell.
During Week 1, Stefan and Dianne danced to the Neighbours theme tune by Barry Crocker.
Is Stefan’s ‘Paul Robinson limp’ real?
Neighbours fans will know that Stefan’s character Paul lost his leg after falling down a cliff. The limb became infected while he was recovering in hospital and it was amputated. Paul was fitted with a prosthetic and has walked with a limp since 2005.
Stefan does NOT have a limp in real life, so it will not affect his chances on Strictly Come Dancing. In fact, Stefan was looking forward to Neighbours coming to an end for this reason.
He told The Sunday Post: “One thing I’m looking forward to is not walking with a limp any more. There’s been times I’ve done stage shows since coming back to Neighbours. One was in Aberdeen, it was the first panto I’d done since Paul lost his leg, and I realised I was walking with a limp on stage. The same happened just before lockdown, when I was doing a Chekhov play, and on the first day I limped across the stage.”
Read more: It Takes Two halted for important Stefan Dennis announcement
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