Strictly star Flavia Cacace is bowing out of the limelight with a farwell tour. The dance diva tells Tim Hughes and Katherine MacAlister why she decided to make this her last tango

They are among the biggest stars of Strictly Come Dancing and a huge hit on their live tours. But light-footed couple Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are calling it a day, with their last dance show together.

Tonight the dancers bid a graceful farewell to fans with their show – The Last Tango.

The show, which continues until Saturday, gives the Argentine Tango champions – who have danced together for 20 years – a chance to say goodbye to the stage in a thrilling live performance, which promises all the steamy passion of a sultry Buenos Aires basement club in the heat of the South American summer.

"It's been an amazing experience and we are totally privileged to have had such a wonderful opportunity," says Flavia.

"We have been touring with our own theatre shows since 2011 and we have always performed seven or eight shows a week. We would like to put our suitcases for a while, but are definitely keeping the dance shoes out and looking forward to tackling some new projects."

She said the pair had changed as dancers – and individuals – over the past three tours.

"I guess you learn that you can't buy experience – and we are slow burners," she says. "We only seem to have totally found ourselves as dancers on stage. It was meant to be!"

"This has been the most challenging, but also the most rewarding, experience of our careers. To have been able to create three shows, have received two Olivier Award nominations and performed to so many amazing audiences has been, and is, a privilege."

And the highlight?

"Creating a whole world around you on stage and taking the audiences on a journey," she says.

"We love the music and dance and have had wonderful and inspiring comments from our audiences."

So is she looking forward to returning to Oxford?

"We love Oxford, yes absolutely!"

When we last spoke to Flavia, ahead of Dance ‘Til Dawn in 2014, she was a newly-wed.

So how is married life treating the dancer – particularly with these long tours.

"We are very happy and make the most of our time together," she says. "If we were to do another tour at some point in the future then we already know we would get a camper van and make an adventure of it.

"We have two holidays planned: a UK one and a week abroad. They’ll be our first and only holidays this year."

So with the tours finishing does she have any plans to return to the TV show?

"We are always happy to do an appearance on the show, and will always have amazing memories, but we have moved on so much in both our lives and our careers that we just want to keep moving forward and taking on new projects and challenges.

"Live a life of love and you'll love the life you live."

The Last Tango, is at the New Theatre Oxford, from tonight until Saturday. Go to atgtickets.com