Strictly star unrecognisable in romcom film 18 years ago

She’s earning applause with her slick moves on Strictly Come Dancing, but 18 years ago, Sarah Hadland starred in a classic romcom and you may need to do a double take to recognise her.

With a more than 30-year career, the 53-year-old actress has dabbled in all forms of acting, including theatre, TV, and film, with her most recognisable role as Stevie Sutton in the BBC One comedy television series Miranda.

But before playing the lovable best friend between 2009 and 2015, Sarah appeared in the 2006 film Confetti alongside Martin Freeman, Olivia Colman, and Jimmy Carr.

Playing the attention-seeking sister of Jessica Hynes’ character, Sam, the actress tested her conniving skills by trying to hijack her sibling’s wedding.

Does she win, does she fail? We’d hate to ruin the ending if you haven’t already seen the BBC film, so instead we’ll share a picture of Sarah who looks completely unrecognisable from the glitz and glam of the Strictly dance floor.

Wearing a large white hat, neatly curled hair and a very frilly bridesmaid dress, you may need to do a double take to spot Sarah standing behind Alison Steadman.

Now known for her chic fashion sense and effortlessly straight blonde hair, the actress is unrecognisable.

Sarah has had an impressive career over the years. In addition to her most well-known role in Miranda, she also starred as Trish in The Job Lot between 2013 and 2015.

Appearing in all 18 episodes of the ITV show, the actress starred alongside Jo Enright and Russell Tovey during the sitcom’s three seasons before it was cancelled in 2015.

Elsewhere, Sarah has played small parts in Bad Girls, Dream Team and played the Ocean Sky receptionist in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace. 

Her most recent credit is Rita in Danielle Ward’s BBC Three comedy series Daddy Issues, staring Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey.

Sarah and her dancefloor partner, Vito Coppola have been putting on an impressive show recently, earning second place for the past three out of four weeks.

The pair have also formed a close bond with Sarah joking after their Strictly debut that she ‘fancies’ the 32-year-old Italian dancer.

‘What a ridiculous question to ask me. Yes, I fancied him. I’m alive, aren’t I?’ she quipped.

‘If you’re female and have a heartbeat, how could he NOT be anybody’s type?

‘The paso doble we’re doing this week is very serious and sensual, and when we started learning it I was very, very giggly,’ she added when speaking with The Sun.

Sarah continued: ‘I kept the eye to camera because there’s a lot of, I’m going to call ‘tuppence to thigh’. I’m being bold… there’s a lot of groin to thigh, and I have to look deep into his eyes — which make it ten times worse.’