Strictly Come Dancing 2015 | The Male Celebrities

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

I think the time is right or at least, I hope so! Before now I have never been able to commit the time Strictly deserves mainly because a programme like Ready, Steady, Cook has a very intensive recording schedule, but having taken a breather after so many years doing my cookery shows, I felt I could at last try to give it a decent shot. Strictly is everybody’s favourite show!

How do you rate your dance skills?

I certainly love a boogie and once the music starts I’m usually one of the first out there on the dance floor. Although I haven’t had any formal dance training and something tells me I’m really going to notice the difference.

What are you looking for in a dance partner?

Patience! Apart from that, I’m looking to be able to form a friendly and professional relationship that will allow us both to do our very best.

Are you a competitive person?

To a degree and if I’m playing a game, I do my best to win. I do want it to be enjoyable and I’d rather have fun and lose than simply win for the sake of winning. I’d like to get far enough to have really learned something.

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

In my last boxing match in July I injured my shoulder which required an operation so I can’t box again until January and it will take me four or five months to recover. Then the chance to do Strictly came up and I thought what an amazing opportunity to take part in the biggest TV programme in the country and to have a load of fun and keep fit. If I wasn’t doing Strictly, I would be sitting on the sofa and watching TV which I didn’t want to do, so this is making me stay focused and train hard. And now I’m in the gym every morning working on my physique for the show!

Have you any previous dance experience?

None! My dancing experience is zilch so when I’m watching Peter Andre in rehearsals, I feel like a stiff ironing board and he looks sexy, smooth and is wiggling his hips. Even when we put on our outfits he looked so cool and like a Spanish bull fighter and I stood there in my little baby blue number feeling very awkward. It’s very rare to get the opportunity to do something as cool as what we are doing so I can’t wait!

What will be your biggest challenge during Strictly?

Most people at home won’t know that I’m starting the Strictly process with my arm in a sling so trying to work around that is going to be the biggest challenge. I want everyone to see how hard I want to work, how much I want to improve and hopefully they will be impressed by my progression.

Are you a competitive person?

Yes without a doubt. I’m not one of those guys that has to beat their nephew at board games but when I’m passionate about something like boxing, I’m the most competitive person in the world. For example, during my last fight I dislocated my shoulder in the second round and I fought the next four and a half rounds with one arm so there’s no giving up or quitting with me.

 

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

I love the show and it’s going to be a great challenge for me. When I have been asked before, I could never do it due to my busy schedule but this year I decided to take a break from touring and I was finally able to say yes! I’m excited about taking part and I just hope I can get the steps together on the dance floor.

What will be your biggest challenge during Strictly?

Remembering the steps! When I dance on stage during my shows, I am never on the same spot two nights in a row so I obviously have to be a little bit more choreographed for Strictly and remember to be at the right place at the right time. I just hope I can remember everything and keep the energy up.

Who will be supporting you during Strictly?

I could have the whole of Ireland come down and support me! But my wife, friends and family will be there every week to cheer me on.

Are you a competitive person?

Yes! I want to win at golf and I want to win at cards so I’m sure I will want to win at dancing. I want to go as far in the competition as I’m good enough to go and if that’s all the way then I will be thrilled!

 

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

I’ve always watched Strictly but I honestly can’t dance! I’m one of those blokes who watches the show and thinks fair play to anyone that does it. I’m taking part this year to see how good I can be and how much I can improve. I hate being rubbish at something so I think this is the place to learn. Strictly is a great show, everyone loves it and I love it! I love all the outfits and won’t need much persuasion to wear any glittery tight tops.

Have you ever danced before?

When I was a young kid, I could break dance and I was quite good at school, which is weird because I don’t have any rhythm in any other type of dance. The last time I danced was for Let’s Dance for Sport Relief with a team of Olympians and we danced to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’. After that, I vowed I would never dance live on TV again because it was so scary! But here I am now on the biggest dance show on TV and will be facing my fears live every Saturday night, I can’t wait!

Are you a competitive person?

Yes I am mega competitive, although I’m playing it down because I truly can’t dance! I’ll be disappointed in myself if I don’t improve a lot. I did Celebrity MasterChef a few years ago and I was told I was bad on the first day which made me angry with myself and the next day I came back more focused. I ended up being runner-up purely because I hate not being the best.

Who will be supporting you during Strictly?

My mates will be the first to tease me but then also be the first to knock on the door to come down and watch! I’ve got friends who have done the show before like Mark Foster and Darren Gough and hopefully they will give me some good advice.

 

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

I’m taking part in Strictly to experience a challenge and to come back home to the UK as I have been living in Los Angeles recently. Also to meet new people and to be judged by Len which I think will make me a real man! A lot of people won’t know that I’m the only member of The Wanted that had danced beforehand at a college in Nottingham but I did a lot of contemporary dance so I’m looking forward to now learning different types of dance that I’ve never done before.

What are you looking for in a dance partner?

I would like my dance partner to be firm and crack the whip but also have a sense of humour as I will absolutely make the same mistake over and over again!

What will be your biggest challenge during Strictly?

I think my biggest challenge will be smiling, not because I’m not happy but because I’m not naturally a smiley person so when it comes to one of the more enthusiastic dances I think I’m going to really struggle to bring that character out. I’m also going to struggle with having a strict routine again, I’ve been away from work and living in Los Angeles for a year as well as travelling, but now I have commitments to uphold and focus on, so that’s going to be a challenge.

Are you a competitive person?

I don’t know, sometimes. If I really get involved in something I can feel competitiveness creeping in but for the most part I’m pretty relaxed. I would like to make it to half-way in the competition and then I can bow out with grace. Anything else is a bonus and anything less then I will try and not mention it.

 

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

I turned 50 this year and although I’m not a natural dancer, I realised this is the time to do stuff you don’t naturally want to do. I remember I was at a wedding and there were about a hundred couples and we were all dancing in a rubbish way and then suddenly this pair of 30-somethings came on the dancefloor and did an amazing Rumba or Salsa and I thought I want to be able to do that.

Have you ever danced before?

I danced in suspenders for Children in Need as a ‘Rocky Horror’ take-off with BBC News presenters Andrew Marr, Sophie Raworth and Michael Buerk. Also when I was a correspondent in South Africa, about 20 grannies asked me to dance with them during a Nelson Mandela event and they were awesome in the way they moved, I just got caught in the moment and forgot all my British inhibitions.

Have you been given any advice or helpful tips?

The tip I’ve been given by most people is to enjoy it. My wife thinks that sometimes the journalist in me – and this is a classic journalist thing – is that you tend to get very mission focused so you’re here to do something, you’ve got to get the story, broadcast it and then you go home. However Strictly isn’t really necessarily about the end product, it’s about the journey.

How far do you hope to make it in the competition?

I would like to get to at least one tense moment in the competition but I am so polite, I will just wave the others past me on their way to the trophy and later think to myself, I wanted that!

 

Why are you taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year?

It is the best show on telly and I have always wanted to take part in Strictly. I love performing on stage but this is a whole new area of dance, I have a lot to learn. I’m looking forward to impressing the judges, they are excellent at their craft and any criticism they give you is usually constructive.

What are you looking for in a dance partner?

I want someone who will be strict with me but will also have fun and enjoy our training. My biggest challenge is going to be remembering the moves as they are so technical and I wouldn’t want to let my partner down.

Are you a competitive person?

I thought I wasn’t but I must be because I am very focused. I think the competition is more with myself and to prove whether I can still move like I did 20 years ago? Haha! But everyone always tells me to enjoy the experience as the whole thing will come and go very quickly.

Who will be supporting you during Strictly?

Hopefully all my family will come down to watch me dance and my kids are big fans of the show!