Lilia Andreyevna Kopylova (; born 18 June 1978) is a Russian professional dancer. With her husband Darren Bennett, she has been competing as an amateur since July 1997 and as a professional since May 2003. The couple has achieved considerable success in the professional Latin style of dancing, both nationally in the UK and internationally. Biography Kopylova started ice skating aged four, winning the title of junior Moscow champion aged nine. In 1987, she started training as a dancer. Her dance partner was Mikhail Batashov, a Danish champion, and in 1990 they won USSR competition; and a year later, they were the first Soviet pair of their age to be allowed abroad to dance. They won the 1990 Danish Open in Copenhagen, followed by success that same year in France and Italy. In 1994, Kopylova represented Russia in the International dance championships in Denmark. In 1997, she was introduced to Darren Bennett and five months later, having moved to the UK, they won the International and British amateur Youth Championships in July 1997. The couple turned professional in 2003, and are now regarded as one of Britain's finest Latin American dance couples and make regular appearances on British TV. Kopylova's favourite dances are the rumba and the foxtrot. In November 2005, Bennett and Kopylova won the British Championships for Professional Latin, coming first in all five dances. In November 2006, they successfully defended this title against a challenge from Olga Rodionova and Paul Richardson, who had previously been competing for the USA but had recently registered as a British couple. Bennett and Kopylova eventually triumphed, again winning all five dances to retain the title. Other competitive highlights include winning the Rising Star professional Latin title of Blackpool Dance Festival in 2003, and reaching the final of the professional Latin competition in the 2005 Blackpool Dance Festival. In February 2008, Bennett and Kopylova were winners of the Carl Alan Award for Ballroom, Latin and Sequence (performers)- a prestigious title described by the IDTA as 'the Oscars of the world of dance'. Bennett and Kopylova are part of the team behind the "Essentially Dance", a scheme for British children to learn ballroom and Latin American dance, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity and promote social skills. Funded by the Aldridge Foundation and launched on 22 June 2009, it was filmed and produced by Winning Pitch TV. The couple starred in a