Sam Quek: Hockey Career, Confirmed Facts and Current Work

Position: Defender (field hockey) · International caps: 125 for England and Great Britain combined (The Independent (UK national newspaper)) · Olympic gold: Rio 2016 Summer Olympics · Honour: MBE, 2017 New Year Honours (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts

• Announced on 12 August 2024 as the fifteenth and final celebrity for Strictly Come Dancing 2024 (BBC Strictly Come Dancing blog (official broadcaster announcement))
• Eliminated on 3 November 2024 as the sixth celebrity out, after scoring 29 (The Independent (UK national newspaper))

2What’s unclear

• No independent confirmation was found that the bullying review findings were published (The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid))
• Parents, husband, net worth and residence are not confirmed by any source reviewed here (The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid))

3Timeline signal

• First international cap came against Argentina in 2007, aged 19 (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
• Olympic gold at Rio 2016 with Great Britain, the first women’s hockey Olympic gold for the nation (Wikiwand (Wikipedia mirror))

4What’s next

• The Strictly the Professionals tour was reported to take a break in 2025 because of artist availability (The Telegraph (UK national daily))
• Plans for 2026 were being finalised, according to the tour’s spokesman (The Telegraph (UK national daily))

Seven facts, one pattern: the career record is well sourced, while the personal details have nothing behind them.

Field	Value
Full name	Samantha Ann Quek (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia))
Date of birth	18 October 1988 (Wikipedia (open encyclopedia))
Sport and position	Field hockey, defender
International caps	125 for England and Great Britain combined (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
Olympic gold	Rio 2016 Summer Olympics (Wikiwand (Wikipedia mirror))
Honour	MBE, 2017 New Year Honours (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))
Education	Sport and Exercise Science, graduated 2010 (Leeds Beckett University (Sport Hall of Fame record))

What happened to Sam Quek?

Her latest headlines come from Strictly Come Dancing. The BBC announced on 12 August 2024 that she was the fifteenth and final celebrity for the series (BBC Strictly Come Dancing blog (official broadcaster announcement)).

She was partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin. The pair scored 29 for an American Smooth to Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and were eliminated on 3 November 2024, making Quek the sixth celebrity out. Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe were saved in the dance-off (The Independent (UK national newspaper)).

• 17 May 2024: complaints from three former partners of professional dancer Giovanni Pernice were reported, according to The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid)
• 13 July 2024: Graziano Di Prima was axed for gross misconduct, per The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid)
• July 2024: the BBC was preparing to release findings of a review into bullying allegations as the 22nd series began (The Telegraph (UK national daily))

Why did the Strictly the Professionals tour take a break?

• The Telegraph reported on 11 September 2024 that the tour would “take a break” in 2025, with promoters citing artist availability (The Telegraph (UK national daily))
• The Sun has claimed, citing an unnamed source, that the tour was dropped to avoid more bad publicity; tour insiders disputed that claim (The Telegraph (UK national daily))

What did the report say about the tour?

• The report dated its coverage to 11 September 2024 and gave no date for the claimed cancellation (The Telegraph (UK national daily))
• A tour spokesman said the celebrity tour featuring the 2024 contestants would go ahead as planned (The Telegraph (UK national daily))

Who is Sam Quek’s husband?

The sources reviewed for this article do not name a husband. Strictly coverage names her dance partner, and BBC Newsround reported that Quek credited Kuzmin with helping her rediscover her confidence (BBC Newsround (children’s news service)).

How did Sam Quek meet her husband?

• No supplied source confirms a husband, so the identity of a spouse is unclear
• No source describes how any relationship began
• Any future detail needs a named Tier 1 or Tier 2 source before it can be published

The catch: a relationship story without a named primary source is easy to repeat and hard to check, so this article leaves it out rather than guess.

Who are Sam Quek’s parents?

No source in this research set names Quek’s parents, so this article cannot give their names. Family background stays unclear across every supplied source.

Who is Sam Quek’s twin brother?

• No supplied source names a twin brother
• The twin relationship appears as a search query, not as a sourced fact
• A named source is required before any sibling detail is published

Is Sam Quek of Chinese descent?

• No source reviewed addresses her ethnicity or family descent
• Descent claims need a named source before publication
• Until one exists, this article makes no claim either way

The pattern: family questions draw the most search demand and the least sourced reporting, so every claim here is only as strong as the document behind it.

What does Sam Quek do now?

Her media work is the best documented part of her post-playing career. BBC Programmes lists her presenting BBC Morning Live and sports programming across football, American football, rugby and cricket (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile)).

• Co-hosted the opening ceremony of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))
• Team captain on Question of Sport from 2021, the first female captain of the show (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))

Did Sam Quek win House of Games?

• The supplied sources do not confirm her participation in House of Games
• No outcome for that show is reported in this research set, so the result is unclear

Where does Sam Quek live?

• No Tier 1 or Tier 2 source names a place of residence
• This article gives no location

The implication: her broadcast career is documented through the BBC, while her private arrangements are not documented at all.

How much is Sam Quek worth?

No verified net worth figure appears in the sources reviewed. Online summaries that name a figure give no source for it, and TV fees are not itemised anywhere in this research set.

Does Sam Quek have kids?

• No supplied source confirms children, so the status is unclear
• Any answer needs a named source and a date

The catch: a net worth figure without a date or a named source is a guess presented as data, so this article offers none.

Timeline

• 2007: first international cap, against Argentina, aged 19, while studying at Leeds Metropolitan University (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
• 2010: graduated in Sport and Exercise Science from Leeds Beckett University (Leeds Beckett University (Sport Hall of Fame record))
• June 2015: considered retiring from hockey, as she told The Independent (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
• August 2016: Olympic gold with Great Britain at Rio 2016 (Wikiwand (Wikipedia mirror))
• Late 2016: retired after Rio, then finished fourth on the 16th series of I’m A Celebrity (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
• 2017: MBE for services to hockey in the New Year Honours (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))
• 2018: autobiography “Sam Quek: Hope and a Hockey Stick,” according to Wikiwand (Wikipedia mirror)
• 2021: captain on Question of Sport (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))
• 12 November 2024: announced as the fifteenth and final Strictly celebrity (BBC Strictly Come Dancing blog (official broadcaster announcement))
• 3 November 2024: eliminated as the sixth celebrity out (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
• March 2025: reportedly joined ITV’s racing team, a low-confidence report (What to Watch (TV listings site))

The pattern: her playing career and media career sit on solid records, and the only uncertain entries are the ones from low-tier or secondary reports.

Confirmed vs unclear

Confirmed

• Named fifteenth and final Strictly Come Dancing 2024 celebrity, 12 August 2024 (BBC Strictly Come Dancing blog (official broadcaster announcement))
• Eliminated 3 November 2024 as sixth celebrity out (The Independent (UK national newspaper))
• MBE, 2017 New Year Honours (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))
• First female captain of Question of Sport, from 2021 (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile))

Rumor and unverified

• The Sun’s claim that the tour was dropped to avoid bad publicity, citing an unnamed source and disputed by insiders (The Telegraph (UK national daily))
• Quek joined ITV’s racing team, a report from March 2025 with low confidence (What to Watch (TV listings site))
• Di Prima’s dismissal for gross misconduct, a medium-confidence report (The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid))
• Pernice denied the allegations made by former partners (The Telegraph (UK national daily))
• Published findings of the bullying review, which no supplied source confirms (The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid))

The trade-off: the confirmed list is short, but every item on it has a broadcaster or newspaper behind it, which is more than most of the rumor list can offer.

In their own words

“There’s two sides to the truth.”

Sam Quek, on the bullying scandal, as told to The Telegraph (UK national daily)

“I didn’t even think twice about doing it.”

Sam Quek, on whether the bullying scandal made cast members hesitate, as published by The Irish Sun (Irish tabloid)

Plans for 2026 are being finalised.

Tour spokesman, as reported by The Telegraph (UK national daily)

The pattern: Quek defends the programme in her own words, while the only attributed reason for the tour break comes from the organiser’s side.

Where this leaves the story

Her confirmed record covers the Rio 2016 gold, the MBE, the Question of Sport captaincy and a Strictly exit on 3 November 2024 (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile)). The open questions sit in two places: the outcome of the bullying review and the reason for the tour break, both still unresolved in the supplied sources. Until the BBC or the tour organiser issues a named statement, any outlet that repeats the tour motive is repeating an unattributed claim.

Related reading: Sue Barker: Tennis Career, Wimbledon Role and Verified Facts · Oti Mabuse: Age, Family, Home, Strictly Career and Book

Frequently asked questions

Which position does Sam Quek play?

She played as a defender in field hockey, according to Wikipedia (open encyclopedia).

How many international caps does Sam Quek have?

She won 125 international caps for England and Great Britain combined, as The Independent (UK national newspaper) records.

Did Sam Quek win Olympic gold at Rio 2016?

Yes. She was part of the Great Britain team that won gold, the nation’s first women’s hockey Olympic gold, according to Wikiwand (Wikipedia mirror).

Which squad number does Sam Quek wear?

The sources reviewed for this article do not confirm a squad number, so the answer is unclear.

Is Sam Quek still playing international hockey?

No. She retired after the 2016 Rio Olympics, as The Independent (UK national newspaper) reports.

What roles has Sam Quek had since leaving the sport?

BBC Programmes lists presenting BBC Morning Live, sports programming, co-hosting the 2023 Eurovision opening ceremony in Liverpool, and captaining Question of Sport (BBC Programmes (public broadcaster profile)).