Neighbours icon Stefan Dennis has signed for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, according to reports.

Stefan is said to be preparing to slip into a pair of ballroom shoes after filming his last ever scene as Paul Robinson.

The final episode of Neighbours was shot last week and will air on Amazon Prime in December.

Stefan’s schedule has been freed up as a result and it is claimed he’s heading to the UK for the BBC show’s launch in September.

A source told The Sun that Strictly bosses hope Stefan will “bring in the ratings”.

The insider added: “[Stefan] has made no secret of the fact that he would love to star on Strictly and will put his all into the training.”

But who is Stefan Dennis, is he married and how long has he starred in Neighbours for?

Here, we take a deep dive into the Australian icon’s life.

How long has Stefan Dennis been in Neighbours?

Stefan Dennis is best known for playing Paul Robinson in the Australian soap Neighbours. He has portrayed the ruthless businessman and womaniser for four decades. He joined the cast in 1985 and has just filmed his final episode.

Stefan originally left Neighbours in 1992 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, his 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”.

How old is Stefan Dennis?

Stefan was born Tawonga in Australia’s Victoria on October 30, 1958. This makes him 66 years old. Stefan’s family then moved to the Gold Coast. It was here he discovered a passion for acting. Aged 11, he starred in an amateur production of Oliver!.

Initially, Stefan left school with the ambition of becoming a chef. He completed a five-year culinary apprenticeship but decided his true love remained with the arts. Stefan moved to Melbourne in pursuit of a career in entertainment.

Forgotten Scottish soap role

Stefan landed his first acting role in an Australian police drama series called Cop Shop. He went on to star in a string of television shows in guest roles, including The Flying Doctors and The Henderson kids, before being cast in Neighbours.

During his 11-year hiatus from the soap (from 1993 to 2004), Stefan headed to the UK. He bagged a main role in the BBC’s River City, which was filmed in Glasgow. Stefan played Dr Marcus McKenzie in the Scottish soap and his character was involved in a grisly storyline. Dr McKenzie was stabbed to death by his girlfriend Heather as he tried to rape her. He had previously raped and attempted to rape two other women.

Stefan later landed roles in BBC medical drama Casualty and 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 also an actress and starred in Neighbours very briefly in 1985. The couple have three children, two sons and a daughter.

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 during the 90s.

Runs in the family

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 will mean he won’t bat an eyelid at flying 10,000 miles to appear on Strictly.

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.”

Will Stefan’s ‘limp’ affect Strictly?

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: SHARK! Celebrity Infested Water’ Lucy Punch and her forgotten role in Doc Martin

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn