With Ashley Banjo

It’s typical of Ashley Banjo that when it came down to proposing to his long-term girlfriend, he planned it down to the last detail – the ring, the speech, the beach, and even the sunset.

As choreographer and leader of hit dance group Diversity, the handsome 26-year-old is expert at orchestrating and creating polished routines, but his romantic scenario, asking dancer and trainee solicitor Francesca Abbott to marry him, was one he especially wanted to perfect.

“I was a bit nervous, because I wanted to get it absolutely right and also for it to be a total surprise to her. I’d had the ring made beforehand and hid it in my suitcase when we went on holiday a few weeks ago to the Maldives,” he says. “I wanted it to be a complete surprise and a special moment we'd both look back on. I chose a beach and made sure it was deserted and waited until the sun was just sinking. It was very emotional and Frankie was crying.”

Diversity's hectic schedule means a wedding can’t be planned for a while. The group, made up of eight dancers from East London and Essex, won the third series of ITV talent contest Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 beating favourite, singer Susan Boyle.

They’ve since enjoyed huge success, with sell-out concerts, tours, and several turns on the Royal Variety Performance performing in front of the Queen.

Banjo, who grew up in Leytonstone, London, was literally born to dance. His English mother, Danielle was a former dancer with the Royal Ballet, while his Nigerian father, Funso is a former heavyweight boxer once rated as a hotter prospect than Frank Bruno.

Twenty five years ago, the couple invested their savings in a dance school in Essex and Ashley and his brother and sister learned to dance as soon as they could walk.

A healthy diet is key to ensuring Banjo, who is 6ft 6ins and a muscular 16 stone, is able to perform in the group’s punishing routines. But he pays a price for his hectic lifestyle – insomnia – and has difficulties getting to sleep.

“I am an insomniac big time. I’ve never really slept well, even as a child, because I have difficulty switching off my brain and relaxing. I usually manage to drop off at 3am and so only ever get about five hours. As I squeeze every hour out of the day, when I do fall into bed, I’m exhausted," he reveals.

“I lie there buzzing with ideas about what we could do next and how we can constantly improve. There’s never really been anyone like us before and we've never been about doing standard shows, so we’re always trying to break new ground.”