Julian Caillon profile: How Strictly Come Dancing's new male pro saw his teenage dream come true
Natasha Rigler | 2:01pm Sat 20 SepJulian Caillon has jetted all the way from the other side of the world to appear on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The Australian-born star is the latest dancer to join the cast of Strictly pros on the BBC show, which has kicked off for a brand new series. He has signed up alongside American dancer Alexis Warr.
Julian was forced to wave goodbye his his new fiancée for his latest job but believes it’s worth it. He’s described his gig on Strictly Come Dancing as “living out his dream”.
Here’s everything we know about Strictly Come Dancing’s new male dancer, Julian Caillon.
Strictly Come Dancing: How old is Julian Caillon?
Julian was born on September 4, 1995, in Sydney, Australia. This makes him 30 years old. He has both a French and Italian heritage and now lives in Australia’s Gold Coast.
When he was 10 years old, Julian began dancing. He took classes in ballroom and Latin before later enrolling in the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. Located in Sydney, all students must study dance, drama, music and visual arts alongside the rest of curriculum.
After leaving school, Julian went on to gain a university degree in Exercise Physiology.
Reaching for the stars
Julian set his sights high from a young age when it came to his future dance career. Age 16, he went to watch the live stage show, Burn The Floor, at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre with his mother.
He has since reflected: “I remember during the show’s bows, I looked at my mum and said, ‘One day you’ll come and see this show and that will be me’.”
In 2023, his dream became a reality. Julian was cast as one of the Burn The Floor dancers, much to the delight of both himself and his proud mother. He was also picked as a dancer for the show last year, too.
TV fame
Although appearing in Burn The Floor was a big wish of Julian’s, his career had already reached impressive heights before this milestone moment.
He has competed all around the world – even at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom in the UK – and won countless accolades. These include multiple State titles and the crown of Vice National Champion.
Strictly Come Dancing is not his first television rodeo, either. Long before his Burn The Floor days, Julian competed in So You Think You Can Dance? Australia. He has since starred as a professional dancer in Dancing with the Stars Australia – the Aussie’s equivalent to Strictly.
During one season, Julian was partnered with Gogglebox Australia star Angie Kent. Unfortunately, they were voted out of the 2020 series in Week 2.
Is Julian Caillon married?
Julian is not married. But he will be soon! In June this year, Julian got engaged to his now-fiancée, Sofia Ochoa. The dancer got down on one knee and proposed to professional athlete Sofia on the beach as the sun set behind them.
The happy moment came just as Julian was due to fly to the UK for Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals. He told his Instagram followers: “Forever Grateful for my Forever Person.”
Initially, Julian flew from Down Under by himself. However, Sofia has since joined him in London. They have been enjoying sightseeing, visiting coffee shops and attending showbiz events together – including the red carpet premiere for the movie, The Roses.
Strictly’s Julian: Who else does he do?
As well as being a top ballroom dancer, Julian is a keen athlete, too. Thanks to his Exercise Physiology degree, Julian also works as a personal trainer and a physiologist.
Julian has already competed in two triathlons this year. While in London, he has been trying to get out and cycle as much as he can around his hectic Strictly Come Dancing training schedule. He particularly likes cycling around Richmond Park.
He recently wrote on Instagram: “Definitely not cycling as much as I used to but I still love it and have been trying to do a couple of rides per week.”
