VAUGHAN and Alison Liddicoat are well on the way to their happily ever after having recently turned professional ballroom dancers as well as getting married.

The owners of The International Dance Studio Canberra (formerly Penny de Kauwe School of Dance), recently spent two years living, training and competing in London.

During that time they got engaged and took part in the reality TV show “Dancing with the Stars”.

“We were fortunate, because of the grade we’re at, to be able to work with the top coaches over there. They took us under their wing and taught us how to do things because it’s a pretty cruel world of dancing out there,” Vaughan says.

They returned to Canberra to take over the dance school, get married and are now “waltzing through life together”, according to Vaughan.

“We have been through much together, but recently turned professional and are now in the top 120 in the world,” says Vaughan.

The pair were put together to dance by their teacher Penny de Kauwe who founded her School of Dance and ran it for 32 years.

“She trained in England and ran the dancing world in Australia at one point, so Canberra has been pretty lucky,” Alison says.

The couple feels like 11 years of dancing together has prepared them well for married life.

“If you can dance together competitively, I think you can probably achieve anything,” Alison says.

“We had a great relationship and a bond that was built through dancing,” Vaughan agrees.

The pair were selected as one of two couples to represent Australia in the World Professional 10 Dance Championships in Canada in October.

“It’s very prestigious for this to happen,” says Vaughan.

They continue to travel overseas regularly for competitions, while running the dance school.

They will also host a Centenary of Canberra event at Albert Hall on Saturday, March 9, which will be a night dedicated to the Roaring Twenties for dancers and non-dancers.

More information at www.theroaring20.com