Kelvin Fletcher has revealed that his friends and family were also winners after his surprise Strictly Come Dancing victory.

The former Emmerdale star, 38, who was paired with Oti Mabuse when he won the BBC show in 2019, told The Mirror that they put a bet on at the bookies, despite the odds being stacked against him.

Kelvin and his professional dance partner lifted the glitterball trophy after becoming a last-minute stand-in for injured Jamie Lang.

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Pay-out: Kelvin Fletcher has revealed that his friends and family were also winners after his surprise Strictly Come Dancing victory

Kelvin told the publication: ‘Although Ladbroke’s had me down as the favourite in the final, at the outset my win was so unlikely that a few of my friends had done very well by putting bets on me before the series began.

‘My brother got odds of 16–1, which translated into a nice pay-out. One of my friends benefited from my win to the tune of £17,000.’

The actor, who played Andy Sugden in ITV ‘s Emmerdale from 1996 to 2016, explained that he had applied for the show three times prior to being accepted.

Explaining he was ready to turn down the show, Kelvin added: ‘She knew me well enough to tell me to stop pouting and seize the opportunity.’

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Duo: The former Emmerdale star, 38, was paired with Oti Mabuse when he won the BBC show in 2019

Kelvin and his wife Liz are childhood sweethearts who grew up down the road from one another in Royton, Lancashire, and shared their first kiss at just eight years old. However they officially got together two years after she finished university.

They were engaged in 2015, after Kelvin proposed on the beach during a romantic trip to Wales.

The couple are parents to Marnie, six, Milo, three, and Maximus and Mateusz, six months.

The family have opened up their life to TV viewers with their BBC show Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure, featuring the Fletchers getting to grips with day to day life on their farm which is also home to 20 sheep, three pigs and three alpacas.

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Competition: Kelvin and his professional dance partner lifted the glitterball trophy after becoming a last-minute stand-in for injured Jamie Lang

The couple recently told online parenting mag Brood about their journey to having children, admitting they came around to the idea of being parents late in their relationship.

Liz confessed ‘We had been together for nearly ten years, and my dad said Kelvin was ‘freewheeling’.

‘I had secretly called him up and said ‘Dad, what do you think about Kelvin?’ and as he’s quite traditional he replied with – ‘I think he’s freewheeling!’.

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Kelvin told the publication: ‘Although Ladbroke’s had me down as the favourite in the final, at the outset my win was so unlikely that a few of my friends had done very well by putting bets on me before the series began’ (pictured with wife Liz)

‘So, I told Kelvin, my dad thinks you’re freewheeling – we’re not married, we’re not engaged, we’ve been together all this time.

‘And I’d started thinking about it because we were coming up to our thirties, I wanted kids – although Kelvin didn’t think I was very maternal!’

Kelvin added: ‘That was the reason I was freewheeling! I used to think, Liz is great but she’s just not into kids and I want loads of kids – I wanted a big family.

‘So, I just thought I don’t know if she’s going to be my wife because she doesn’t like kids!’

Liz replied: ‘Yet, at the same time I’m thinking I want kids’

And Kelvin added: ‘We should have probably talked about it!’

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Farm life: The family have opened up their life to TV viewers with their BBC show Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure, featuring the Fletchers getting to grips with day to day life on their farm which is also home to 20 sheep, three pigs and three alpacas