Axed Strictly dancer ties the knot

TV ballroom star Katya Virshilas has put her Strictly disappointment behind her as she celebrates her wedding with show pals.

The nimble performer tied the knot in a French chateau with many of her Strictly Come Dancing friends, just weeks after she was dropped from the show.

And in an interview with Hello! magazine - which covered the wedding - she said that after the surprise of being dropped from the BBC One programme, she may take her talents in another direction.

The Lithuanian-born dancer, 28, said: "I've always said that in my thirties I want to become a really good actress."

She has already made a big screen appearance, performing a tango scene with Antonio Banderas in the movie Take The Lead.

Katya married Danish dance champion Klaus Kongsdal at a chateau in the Loire Valley and said: "It was magical."

The couple's guests included recent Strictly contestants such as Holly Valance - plus her fiance Nick Candy - as well as Anita Dobson and Nancy Dell'Olio, who was late for the ceremony but arrived for the reception.

Other guests included Brendan Cole and his pregnant wife Zoe, Kristina Rihanoff and her partner Joe Calzaghe, Ian Waite, former Strictly champion Matthew Cutler and Anton du Beke.

Katya recently found she had been dropped from Strictly. Programme judge and wedding guest Craig Revel Horwood told Hello! he was shocked by her departure - the only professional who will not return to the series next year.

He said: "I found out about it in the newspaper actually. I rang her because I was really concerned and she was lying on a beach. I wanted to tell her that we are all on her side and she's still part of the Strictly family. I wanted to reassure her that she will still be on the next tour."