Five years since he departed Strictly Come Dancing, former show pro Kevin Clifton's life has changed immeasurably. He is now a respected stage star and has become a father to three-year-old Minnie with his partner of seven years, documentary maker Stacey Dooley, 38. They are both involved in show business, so their schedules are far from regular. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk about how they manage parenting with erratic work patterns, the 43-year-old confessed that this once meant living in a caravan with his daughter.

"I think we're pretty good at looking at the diary and going, 'Okay, in these few months, I'm going to be on tour with this show or whatever in these couple of months here'. And then sometimes we just go, 'Okay, we're going to block out that bit of the diary, and neither of us is going to take any work, and we'll just be at home'. And Minnie is brilliant. She's been everywhere in the world. She's been all over the place," he said, beaming with pride.

"When she was about six or seven months old, Stacey was filming, Stacey Sleeps Over episodes in America, and we just all went over to America.

"Stacey had to sleep over in these people's places, and me and Minnie were in a little trailer down the road all the time. Every now and again, Stacey used to pop out to quickly feed her or whatever. So me and Minnie were just in this sort of van on tour in America. So she's used to it - she asks what hotel we're going to now," he laughs.

Despite having a system in place Kevin admits touring is much more difficult emotionally now that he is a parent. "I've been on tour my whole life, so touring for me has never been a struggle. It's just part of what I do.

"But since we've had Minnie it becomes a little more difficult. Just if I have to be away for a whole week or something - that can be tough," he acknowledged.

"I'm on tour at the moment, but we've brought Minnie with us, because I'm on tour with Stacey as well. We've got alternating grandma's putting her to bed every night while we're on stage."

His next stage endevour doesn't involve Stacey though, as he is set to take to the stage playing the iconic role of Tick/Mitzi in the UK and Ireland Tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which opens at the Palace Theatre, Manchester on February 19.

"We'll work it out," he says." "It'll just be a week by week. There might be some weeks where, if Stace isn't working, she and Minnie will come with me.

"If I'm sort of within reasonable distance of home, I'll commute. I do a lot of driving. And there'll be the odd week where I'll be away for the week. But yeah, it's definitely more difficult now."

The UK and Ireland tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert starring Kevin Clifton, Nick Hayes, Peter Duncan and Adele Anderson truns from February unil July 2026. Tickets are on sale now.