Strictly Come Dancing dancer Aliona Vilani has tied the knot with an Irishman on the Caribbean island of St Thomas.
The Kazakhstan-born dancer married Dublin native Vincent Kavanagh in a ceremony that was attending only by Vilani's parents and Kavanagh's mother.
In an interview in the new issue of Hello! Magazine, Vilani – who won Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 with McFly’s Harry Judd - says that it was fellow contestant Anita Dobson who introduced her to the Irish sales director.
"She said 'I really want you to meet this guy. Give him a chance, he's so lovely'. So I did and here we are,” Vilani recalled.
"Vincent is a lot of fun and adores me. He is the sweetest man I have ever met. He is my soulmate.
"You never know when you're going to meet someone who is so right for you. My parents keep saying they couldn't have imagined I would meet someone who is so similar to me."
Vilani said of their wedding day: "It was perfect, just the way we imagined it. We were both so emotional.
"When you get there and it's real, it overwhelms you. It was very special. We were both a bit shaky."
She added: "I look forward to having a family. To me, that is the most important thing."
