THERE was hockey, martial arts, chess and even a dabble in gardening, but nothing really stuck. Until eight-year-old Pasha Kovalev was coaxed by his mother into attending a ballroom competition.

That day his fate was sealed. The young boy, who would become one of Britain’s most recognisable dance figures thanks to his residency on Strictly Come Dancing, swiftly enrolled in Ballroom and Latin classes.

“I tried all these activities and one of by one these things all went await, I wasn’t really talented at any of them,” confesses the Russian dancer. “My mum took me to a ballroom competition. There was the music, the lights the costumes... and the girls, not necessarily in that order. I said to my mum ‘Take me to dance classes’.

“I started ballroom straight away and I trained every day.”

For the first time since joining BBC’s Strictly, and after being relegated to runner-up on two occasions (with Chelsee Healey in the ninth season and Kimberley Walsh in the series ten), Pasha won the TV competition last year with his celebrity partner Caroline Flack.

“I knew that Caroline had everything you’ve got to have to win Strictly,” he gushes. “From the first group dance I could see she could definitely move. She was one of the best, if not the best. I was very lucky. And, of course, she was lucky that she got me. She developed into a proper dancer over the course of many weeks. The competition was fierce and a lot of other contestants deserved to win but she bloomed and matured into this beautiful dancer. I couldn’t believe it when they called out her name. For a second I thought ‘It’s some sort of mistake’.”

From the self-effacing way in which he showers his pupil with praise, referring to her victory, you would almost believe he played no hand in fighting off competition from Simon Webbe and Frankie Bridge to take home the coveted glitterball trophy.

“Of course we won together,” he finally admits. “It take two to tango. But you’re the teacher on Strictly and you kind of look at it from that perspective. It’s like being a proud dad. But yes, it feels good to win.”

Transforming a fledgling dancer into a near professional, regardless of their natural ability or lack thereof, for the pleasure of viewing audiences presents its fair share of challenges.

Pasha has had to uncover new ways to wheedle out the best out if his pupils in record time.

And that means acting in turn as a mentor, friend, partner and occasional counsellor.

The key is to stay collected.

“They have to become ballroom dancers in a short space of time and you are there to be strong and help them get through the process. You have to be calm, keep it fun and find ways to help them relate to the music and movements. It keeps you on your toes.

“It’s intense. The rehearsal process never stops, Strictly is 24/7, there are no days off.

“You have to build that trust. If you bond, build a friendship, and it works, that’s how you get to the final.”

With his mentor duties temporarily on hold, Pasha is back on tour this month with Life Through Dance, which has already sold out at the Wyvern.

Across arresting Ballroom and Latin numbers, Pasha and his troupe explore love, life and relationships in all their intensity.

“It focuses on what we experience in life, like falling in love, it’s about going through life together and celebrating it. It will cover all the dances people see on Strictly, tango, rumba, cha cha, charleston. It’s all there. We’ve tried to make it very intimate. It took a lot of work, like with anything else. But it was fun to create.

“Dance is my life. There is that satisfaction in sharing my emotions and telling a story through music and movements on stage. You never stop learning about yourself.”

Pasha Kovalev’s show at the Wyvern Theatre on Monday, March 23 is sold out. To check forthcoming tour dates go to www.pashakovalev.co.uk.