A former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has revealed the gruelling training schedule for the BBC show, recalling instances of contestants passing out backstage due to intense nerves.
Cricket legend Phil Tufnell, who won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2003, confessed that the nerves were palpable behind the scenes on Strictly, causing some contestants to faint.
Despite having a positive experience with his professional partner Katya Virshilas during his 2009 stint, Tufnell described it as “challenging” – and far more intimidating than his time in the Australian jungle.
Reflecting on his Strictly days, he said: “It was quite hard work. The first couple of shows were like, ‘Oh my life! ‘ There was nothing like it. I had a spray tan and was wearing a cerise pink shirt, very tight trousers, and Cuban heels. Plus, you’re performing to between 10 and 12 million people live on TV and could potentially make a fool of yourself.”
He continued: “The people I was up against were actors who were used to singing and dancing on stage. I also remember people fainting backstage due to nerves. But you do get into it,” reports the Express.
In his chat with Betway, he revealed that his training routine lasted about three or four hours daily. He remarked: “But some of the couples were doing at least 10 hours a day. It’s quite an undertaking. Perhaps I should have put in a few more hours of training! The thing that always made me laugh was you’d do your routine, and think you did it well and then see another contestant do it so much better.”
Reflecting on his time on the show, he said: “It was a great experience, but I think my time had come when I was voted off the show. I got to go to Blackpool, which was great, but I wasn’t going to get any better by that stage.”
When asked to compare his experiences on I’m A Celebrity with Strictly, he explained: “They are both very different types of scared. Both were instances of going into the unknown. You’re thrown in at the deep end, out of your comfort zone, you’ve got to get on with people, face challenges and remember these tricky steps. They both have their challenges but when I look back on both of them, I think, what an absolute honour it was to be involved in these shows. I’ll remember them both for the rest of my life.”
His comments come ahead of the quarter finals of Strictly 2024, where audiences will see the remaining pairs perform to musical hits. Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola are set to deliver a Charleston to Popular from Wicked; Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell will Quickstep to You’re The Top from Anything Goes, while JB Gill and Lauren Oakley are preparing a Viennese Waltz to Let’s Go Fly A Kite from Mary Poppins.
Only six couples now remain and last week witnessed EastEnders’ star Jamie Borthwick being the latest to be eliminated after a dance-off against Olympian Montell Douglas.
Strictly Come Dancing in on BBC One and BBC iPlayer