Strictly Come Dancing’s Chris McCausland has opened up about his family life, admitting that he worries “a lot” and his wife picks up a “lot of slack”. The comedian, who is the first-ever blind contestant on the BBC show, has quickly become a fan favourite.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, he revealed that over the past decade, he has grown more “comfortable” in his own skin, attributing this newfound confidence to ageing and becoming a father.
Chris said: “I think that really changes your outlook on life and yourself.”
He reflected on how his sight loss had forced him to change jobs in the past, but acknowledged that parenting was a role he couldn’t quit if it became challenging.
He shared: “Being a dad, you can’t just decide to find something else to do. I worried about it a lot, and there’s a lot of slack that my wife picks up, a lot of the logistical stuff.”, reports Lancs Live.
After last week’s episode of Strictly, where contestants were required to participate in a Samba dance-a-thon (a challenge not seen since 2018), Chris and his partner Dianne Buswell earned only one point after being the first couple eliminated. This sparked a reaction from viewers, with one questioning whose “brilliant idea” it was to include a Samba-thon “this year of all years”.
Critics have suggested that it gave Chris a “such a disadvantage”, with another viewer expressing their astonishment at the decision to “bring back the sambathon when Chris cannot see any of the other couples/be spatially aware of other couples”.
Yet, when Chris found out he had received only one point, his jubilant reaction was “yes! “. Taking to Instagram afterwards, he reflected on the episode.
His post read: “I was really proud of our dance on Saturday, and as for the Sambathon….[zipped-mouth emoji] ….Well thank you so much for all of your votes.
“You really did help us survive double Latin! See you tomorrow partner (Dianne Buswell), I’ll be bringing earplugs.”
In the most recent episode, Jamie Borthwick and his professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas became the ninth pair to leave the series, after competing against Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe in the dreaded dance-off.
Don’t miss the next Strictly Come Dancing episode tonight at 7.05pm on BBC One and iPlayer.