Bio
Hayley Bennett is a South African Latin American, Ballroom and Freestyle dancer best known for partnering various celebrities on the reality competition dance show Strictly Come Dancing, winning the third season and seventh seasons.
In the 2006 second season fo the show she danced opposite soccer player Mark Fish and the pair were the third couple to be eliminated.
In the 2007 third season of the show, she and celebrity dance partner HHP won the competition.
In 2008 she was the partner of former Gladiator Garth Collins on the fifth season of Strictly Come Dancing, from September to December, 2008. They were the sixth couple to be eliminated.
After a five-year hiatus the show returned with Season 6 in 2013 and Hayley partnered actor Thapelo Mokoena. The couple placed third and were eliminated following the freestyle dances when they received the lowest number of viewership votes in the grand finale.
The following year - Season 7 - Hayley partnered Top Billing presenter Jonathan Boynton-Lee. The couple won the competition, making Hayley the first dancer in the history of the show to win twice.
Hayley is also a full-time dance teacher and dance captain for an entertainment company.
Strictly Come Dancing 5
Hayley was the professional dance coach and partner to ex-Gladiator and comedian Garth Collins in the fifth season of SABC2's Strictly Come Dancing reality competition, in 2008.
The first two weeks of the competition were non-elimination rounds, with the judges scoring dances by the male celebrities in Week 1 and the female celebrities in Week 2.
In Episode 3 - the first elimination episode - Garth and Hayley received the lowest score from the judges (17/40), with Salome Sechele calling their performance "on the brink of chaos". Garth was criticised for being too stiff.
After viewer voting, however, Garth and Hayley were safe and did not have to perform in the dance-off.
In Episode 4 Garth turned his track record on the dance floor around with a surprisingly light Jive. Dressed in what seemed to be an S&M-inspired patent leather outfit, Garth and Hayley delivered a routine that inspired Lilian Phororo to call it a “dramatic improvement”.
Salome was as impressed and suggested that the couple really put in everything they have, now that they've got their nerves under control.
They scored 25/40, placing them sixth.
In the fifth episode the couple performed a well-rehearsed routine detailed with kicks, jumps and feathers flying off Hayley's glittering costume.
Judges were clearly impressed with his improved confidence and Lillian joked that the “Tower of Power” had become the “Gentle Giant”. Dave Campbell found the performance delicate, especially seeing that a big guy could seem so light on his feet.
They scored 27/40 that week.
The following week - in Episode 6 - Garth and Hayley delivered the night’s most entertaining performance, although judges found it hard to spot any Samba in their routine.
HHP (who won Season 3 with Hayley) made a surprise appearance, providing the soundtrack to their colourful performance.
Garth lacked the required knee action (possibly as a result of a problematic injury he picked up), but did succeed in bringing the glamour of the Rio Carnival to the Carlton Ballroom, according to Dave.
The couple scored 28/40 - their highest mark in the competition - which placed them joint second with Anele Mdoda and Brandon Eilers Le Riche.
In Week 7 Garth and Hayley delivered a performance inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast. All judges loved the way he settled into the challenge the show poses and commended “the King of Perseverance” for his commitment.
They scored 27/40, good enough for fourth place.
Episode 8 was the first occasion where the final five were expected to bring two flawless attempts to the dance floor, from a selection of styles chosen from the Latin and Ballroom genres.
Garth and Hayley scored 26 for their first dance and 25 for their second, giving them a total of 51/80, which placed them in the bottom two for the first time.
They had to compete in the dance-off against Anele and Brandon and were unanimously voted out by the judges.
The day after being voted out, however, producers of the show revealed that due to a computer error Garth and Hayley should not have been in the Bottom 2 in the first place - Tessa van Duuren and Grant Esterhuizen had less viewer votes and should have been in the dance-off.
As a result Garth and Hayley were invited back to the show, with nobody going home in Week 8.
In Episode 9 Garth disappointed with a Tango full of errors, despite the theatrical Rocky-inspired theme that fell flat on its face.
The judges actually went as far as calling Hayley “the only star in the couple”.
To the tune of “I can't get no satisfaction” the couple also attempted a Paso Doble. Lilian’s comment to Garth: “Darling, let’s face it, you are simply not a dancer.”
The couple scored 23 and 22 for their dances, which placed them last our of the five couples. After viewer voting they ended up in the threeway dance-off against Anele and Brandon and Cindy Nell and Jonathan Broadway.
The judges unanimously voted to keep Cindy in the competition. Garth and Hayley (along with Anele and Brandon) were thus the sixth couple to be voted out, on 27 November, 2008.
STRICTLY COME DANCING 5 GALLERY
