Lauren Oakley has said she was left 'mindblown' as she saw her mum appear in a once popular TV show, hosted by Noel Edmonds.
It turns out the professional dancer, who is best known for being among the pro line-up on Strictly Come Dancing, wasn't the first in her family to appear on the small screen.
Taking to Instagram, Lauren shared a video clip of when her mum appeared on Noel's House Party, which aired on BBC One from 1991 to 1999.
Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, the entertainment show was broadcast live on Saturday evenings for eight series.
Alongside the video of her mum's appearance on the show, Lauren wrote on Instagram: "This has blown my mind. My Mom on Noel’s House Party 32 years ago. Now I understand why people say I’m her double @oakleyjacquie."
Her Strictly co-stars were among the first to respond, as Karen Hauer said: "Omg loveeeee." Carlos Gu echoed: "Love this!!!!" Fleur East posted: "Wow!!! Love this." Former winner Ore Oduba shared: "Woowww omg Lauren," 2024 contestant Montell Douglas replied: "Come thru mamaaaa. Love u bothhhhh."
Meanwhile, fans were quick to tell Lauren how much she looks like her mum. @bizkitstar said: "Omg definitely your double, your mom gorgeous, and so are you, and dances beautiful just like you."
@sparkleandthread commented: "That is not your mom!! That’s you in a vintage set up!!! Get away with ya! Wow…. This is spooky!!" @blingunicorn_71 wrote: "You definitely don't need to tell us which lady is your Mum, beautiful you're definitely her mini me (a grown up mini me)."
@tracy.jacklin replied: "Omg i thought that was you." @jane.ledger.94 posted: "You are her double." @kopite107 typed: "Wow, that's crazy!!!!" @judy_williamson67 shared: "Your posture is even the same! Love this." @strictly_brotherhood added: "Oh wow- the image of one another."
It comes after it was announced than Lauren would be among the returning dancers for Strictly's 23rd series later this year. Lauren had an unexpected end to 2024 as she made it to the final of the BBC One dance contest.
Lauren wasn't originally JB Gill's partner for the show's 20th anniversary series. The JLS star was initially paired with Lauren's fellow pro Amy Dowden who made her triumphant return to the ballroom after having to miss the previous run due to undergoing treatment for cancer.
But two months into the series and an injury heartbreakingly forced Amy out of the competition following the show's Halloween special with Lauren stepping in. JB and Lauren went on to compete in the grand final of Strictly in December where they lost out on lifting the Glitterball trophy to eventual winners Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell.
The BBC announced the news earlier this month and joining Lauren back on the dancefloor for series 23 of the hit dance show are Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer and Neil Jones.
Also heading back to the dancefloor are Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Katya Jones, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Kai Widdrington, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
The BBC also revealed that two brand new professional dancers will also be joining the lin-up, with the new pros set to be revealed closer to the return of the show.
