Josh Widdicombe is gearing up to hit the Strictly Come Dancing floor as he’s announced for the Christmas special.
The 41-year-old comedian, known for his stints on The Last Leg and Live At The Apollo, is the first celebrity confirmed for this year’s yuletide edition of the dance contest.
With rehearsals underway, Josh shared insights into his preparation, confessing on Saturday Kitchen, “I thought I’d be terrible.”
When host Matt Tebbutt inquired about his progress, Josh responded: “It’s going well.” He elaborated on his feelings about the experience: “I’m loving it, I think. I don’t know. I thought I was going to be terrible and I’m just bad”, reports the Mirror.
During the show, chef Niklas Ekstedt curiously asked if there was a financial incentive, prompting Josh to deflect with humour: “On a TV show, that’s never been the follow-up question. ‘What’s the breakdown of the finances for this tour that you’re promoting?'”
Josh then steered the chat back to his Strictly journey, mentioning how his seven year old daughter, a big fan, enjoyed meeting his dance partner Karen during training.
Reflecting on his decision to join Strictly, Josh humorously remarked: “I am utterly terrified this will end in humiliation and worried I’m going to be so bad I will ruin Christmas for the nation. Why have I done this?”
Elsewhere on the show, Josh spoke of how Strictly has started to dominate his life: “It’s kind of overshadowing everything else right now in my life.”
He went on, expressing his surprise at his own commitment: “Yeah, I agreed to do Christmas Strictly, and I’ll be honest, I feel now like I’m a dancer that occasionally does comedy.”
Reflecting on the response he’s received, Josh shared: “It’s quite full on, and I’ve had more messages from people in my life more excited about that than the rest of my career put together.”
Josh is set to showcase his moves with veteran Strictly professional Karen Hauer in a pre-recorded Christmas special.
So far, Josh joins two other confirmed celebrities for the festive edition RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Tayce and broadcaster Vogue Williams.
While Tayce will be teaming up with Kai Widdrington, Vogue is set to hit the dance floor with Carlos Gu. The remaining celebrity contestants are expected to be announced soon.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day