Camilla: "David Dickinson Needed A Lot Of Time"

There was an interview with Camilla Dallerup in yesterday's Metro.

It's mostly about Eurovision, and contains some very flippant questions;
People watch Eurovision for a laugh. Will there be drag queens and weirdos in the dancing version?
Do you sew the sequins on [your costumes] yourself?
Did you laugh when [Brendan] split up with Natasha Kaplinsky?

However, Camilla is classy and answers all the questions well.

She was asked who the least gifted celebrity partner she's had was, she answers with respect: "That’s not a nice way of putting it, but David Dickinson needed a lot of time. Ray was the best dancer but he didn’t have a long journey. James didn’t know anything about dancing but he had a fantastic journey and ended up being able to waltz and foxtrot at the end."

I can't believe she used the 'J-word' twice in one sentence, though..!

Another Day, Another Rumour

It's a right old rumour mill over at The Sun.

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The Sun has thrown another female celebrity name into the ring. This time its ex-EastEnders actress Letitia Dean.

The paper has already reported that Natalie Cassidy will be participating. The BBC usually casts it net quite wide, so I would imagine it's unlikely that we'd have two ex-EastEnders actresses participating in the same series. Especially as neither of them is really known for doing anything else. However, I am willing to be proved wrong, as I think both Natalie and Letitia would be assets to the show.

Equally, I wonder how true it is that three participants with a football background (John Barnes, Paul Gascoigne and Neil Warnock) would all appear in the same series. Especially with Gabby Logan, who is primarily a football presenter.

Perhaps we'll get some word from the BBC once Eurovision is out of the way. I wonder what's going to be on BBC One on Saturday nights in September...

EDC Press Pack

The BBC have issued a Press Pack with all you need to know about the Eurovision Dance Contest.

I must admit, I stopped covering the EDC in detail as a) other sites do a much better job and b) I lost interest becuase I'm in Germany at the weekend and I may miss it (although I'm hoping that a handheld TV will help me out). If I get to watch it, I will try to grab as many Germans as I can to vote for the United Kingdom!

There will be no such slacking off when it comes to Strictly Come Dancing, though. It's my passion and I hope I can do an even better job at covering it this year. And I won't be on holiday for the final this year.

I'm on holiday for Week 8 instead!

Gazza Out Already?

He's not even officially signed up yet, but Paul Gascoigne's dancing career could already be over, according to The Sun.

It seems Strictly producers might axe him, after he went out on a drinking binge in Spain at the weekend.

Ho hum.

Classic Come Dancing

Some classic Come Dancing clips have been posted on YouTube.

First here is Karen Hardy performing a cha cha with Mark Lunn. And for those who have seen Simply Ballroom, you'll probably know Bruce Lait, seen here with Heidi-Marie Cruyws.



Karen & Mark with another cha cha.



Here is John Byrnes, performing the samba with his now-wife Jane Lyttleton.



And finally John & Jane again, with a cha cha. It's worth watching this clip for John's hair...

Strictly Annual

I reported a while back that you can pre-order the new 'annual' from Amazon.

Amazon is now showing cover artwork for the new book. At the moment, it shows last year's participants, but I presume this is just a mock-up. I would guess there will be another version after the contestants have been announced.

Strictly Special?

According to the Sunday Mirror, the BBC is planning a one-off Strictly special for Sport Relief next year.

And they report that Jamelia is already signed up.

According to the paper: "Jamelia fell in love with the show after being a guest judge last year. Like most women she loved the outfits, the moves - and the athletic male dancers."

By guest judge, they actually mean Friday Panellist on It Takes Two.

Odd that this is being reported even before this year's main series has started.

John Barnes Assumed Confirmed

It looks like ex-England footballer and football pundit John Barnes will be a participant in Strictly Come Dancing this year.

John participated in Test The Nation last night, and Anne Robinson asked him about Strictly.

At first I wasn't sure if I'd heard correctly, but after reading a post by Quizmike on the DS forum, I realise I did hear right.

I would say that this is one name to put in the confirmed column, as it was being discussed on the BBC.

More Strictly Leaks

The Sun has been reporting that more stars have signed up for Strictly.


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The Sun is reporting that Penny Lanscater, who recently paid to dance with Brendan, former EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy, sports presenter Gabby Logan (who was refused entry by her ITV bosses last year and has since moved to the Beeb) and GMTV presenter Andrew Castle have all signed up. Ex-Corrie actress Debra Stevenson is also believed to have signed.

If the rumours about Kelly Brook are true, that would leave only two female celebrities still under wraps. And with Gazza and Neil Warnock also supposedly signed, there are only four more boys names to come.

Perhaps a game of 'Guess which female is with which pro' is in order...

Brendan Parties With Danielle

MonstersAndCritics.com reports that Brendan spent last Monday night partying with Danielle Lloyd at London's Embassy club.

They went to the club after they both attended the launch of a new Top Gun DVD release.

Strictly Come Dancersize

I have just leaned that a Strictly Come Dancersize DVD is in the pipeline.

It will feature Karen Hardy and Erin Boag, and will be released in the autumn (no doubt coinciding with the new series).

Watch this space for further details.

Interview With Brendan

There was a lengthy interview with Brendan Cole in The Times last week.

It's worth a read. In it, Brendan talks about the difficulty of growing up as a dancer with a gay brother (everyone assumed Brendan was gay too), moving to England, his father's ill health and relationships.

Brendan admits: “When you’re practising for Strictly Come Dancing it’s like a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship”.

SCD Back In HD

Strictly Come Dancing will be broadcast in HD for the second year in a row, according to HDTV UK.

I just wish I knew someone with an HD subscription. I know how much better HD makes sport, but I'd love to experience SCD in HD.

Lesson 23

For the first time ever, I attended the Wednesday class. I had a great time.

The lesson seemed pacier than Mondays have ever been. We covered so much, and I finally felt a little bit more challenged. We did a long rumba amalgamation to begin with, as Anton couldn't decide which ballroom dance to do. The routine was great. I got lost a few times, but I thought I coped quite well as we did steps I've never done before.

Then we moved on to tango. Again, some of it was new to me, but it was great.

Unfortunately, after thinking I was going to spend the summer doing two classes a week, it turns out the classes are cancelled for the next two weeks. No dancing of any kind for two weeks? What am I going to do??

Don't Cry For Me Argentine Tango

Strictly Contestant Alert - Do not read on unless you want to hear the latest rumour from today's Sun.



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The Sun reports that former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has signed on the dotted line to participate in Strictly Come Dancing.

'Gazza', who famously shed a few tears after being sent off during the World Cup in Italy in 1990, could soon be crying at the discotheque as well, at the mercy of the Strictly judges.

According to the paper, Gazza pulled out of I'm A Celebrity... at the last minute to swap the jungle for the jive.

One thing I'd forgotten about until I did some Googling was that Gazza was actually signed up to take part in Strictly Ice Dancing, but had to quit due to injury and was replaced by David Seaman. It's a good thing it was mentioned on Ian & Victoria's site.

Blogging SYTYCD

If you've watched So You Think You Can Dance? on LIVING, you might like this site.

Blogging So You Think You Can Dance? is a blog a bit like this one, covering the Cat Deeley-fronted US answer to Strictly Dance Fever.

However, it will contain spoilers as we are behind, so if you are planning to watch Season 3 on LIVING this autumn you might want to give it a miss.

I only came across it becuase it was featured on Blogs Of Note. It's my aspiration to be 'noted' some day, but with millions of blogs being written every day I won't hold my breath.

Lesson 22

We returned to quickstep and jive this week.

We did tipple chasses in quickstep, which we hadn't done last week. And we did stop & gos and Spanish arms in jive.

I asked about perhaps having a go at the second class, as I'm not pretty comfortable with beginners. I'm just concerned that that will be over my head. Anton's advice was to stay and watch, and as I'm going again tomorrow, I think that's what I shall do. I really need to do something, as last night I was on autopilot during the quickstep. Although my spin turns still need work...

Arlene Adds To Her Wish List

We all know that Arlene Phillips would like to see Jordan and David Tennant take part in Strictly Come Dancing. Now she has added Jonathan Ross to her wish list.

The People quotes Arlene as saying: "Jonathan has comic appeal the audience would love".

The same article reports that Bruno would like to see Kate Moss, Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse taking part.

Methinks Arlene is more likely to get her wishes...

Lesson 21

It was time for a change this week, so we started with the slowest quickstep I have ever attempted. It was about as quick as a foxtrot. But doing it so slow did get me thinking about my technique.

After that we did a bit of jive. I always turn my nose up at jive, but once we get going I always really enjoy it.

And I got to do it all in my brand new DanceAmo sandals. I love them so much. Although they did make me realise that I could do with taking a bit more care of my poor feet. They look rough. Years of pointe work is making them look a bit sorry for themselves.

Warnock Considering Strictly

The rumours about Neil Warnock participating in Strictly Come Dancing have been confirmed by the man himself.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he says the timing of the show is the sticking point for him.

"I would be committing myself for a minimum of six weeks at a time when job offers could come along. But my wife and kids are desperate for me to do it."

I would have thought that anyone having conversations about participating in the show would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The BBC usually try and keep it top secret until they issue a press release. Why is he talking so openly about it, especially if he is thinking about taking part? Normally no-one discusses jobs until they have signed or declined.

Great Minds Think Alike!

I was flipping through the latest issue of Dance Today on the train this morning.

Their 'Paper (Cha Cha) Chase' column highlights dance stories in the national press. They too picked up on an interview with Arlene in The Mirror where she complained about all the spare flesh at the DanceX auditions.

There is only so much dance news to go around, especially in the national newspapers, but I love that the nation's best-loved and respected ballroom magazine picks up on the same stories as me each month. It makes me believe that the stuff I am selecting for the blog is right and of interest.

If anyone from Dance Today is reading this, I'm always plugging your magazine, and I'd love a free extention on my sub. Email me at the address above. Ha ha ha!

Big Dancer?

I do hope this is a tabloid myth...

The Daily Star is reporting that Big Brother feuders Chanelle Hayes and Charley Uchea have been approached to take part in Strictly Come Dancing. The report states that they are only interested in having them as a pair, in order to watch their rivalry build.

I have to say this sounds a bit far-fetched. I cannot imagine that the BBC would even entertain the idea of having them on the show.

The unnamed source says “This could kill off The X Factor. Obviously, Big Brother appeals to a younger audience and a lot of these viewers would definitely tune in to see the Chanelle-Charley rematch.”

Is the BBC that desperate to attract younger viewers? I doubt it.

I have to say that I would be hugely disappointed if the BBC decided to stoop as low as newly evicted housemates, when actors, presenters, sports stars and performers are queuing up to receive an invitation to the dance. And such a move would alienate the bulk of the audience, who are 35+. If they really want to go down that route, I think Arlene's suggestion of Jordan would be a much better choice.

I'll put this one down to the tabloids making stuff up again...

Ian & Camilla On Telly

Did you miss Camilla trying to dance while being electrocuted on Brainiac: Science Abuse? Or Ian & Camilla teaching the youngsters to dance on The Sorcerer's Apprentice?

Well, who needs to set the video when we have KatieP? She's posted the appearances on YouTube. Enjoy!

Neil Warnock For SCD5?

The latest rumour is that former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock will be putting on his dancing shoes.

According to a lengthy article about the return of the Premiership in The Mirror, Warnock is out of the top league and on to the dancefloor.

"Never shy to air his views, he quit Sheffield United after their relegation. Warnock is currently out of the game, but don't worry. He'll be back on telly soon - on Strictly Come Dancing!"

Strictly Spotted

I was queuing up to see a recording of That Mitchell & Webb Look on Friday, and Arlene Phillips passed us by. I had nothing for her to sign, and no camera, so I didn't bother to stop her. But I was so excited anyway.

I have to admit, sitting in The Foyer at Television Centre made me feel really sick. All those memories...

BBC Autumn Preview

I obtained a copy of the BBC's Autumn preview booklet last week.

Here are the pages on Strictly Come Dancing.

Lesson 20

I was joined by Ciara on Monday, who was spending a few days in London after last Friday's dinner dance in Dukinfield.

We continued with tango, which makes three weeks in a row. Woo-hoo! It became apparent for the first time that my leg position was incorrect when doing a link into promenade. But now I know. I also realised that I sometimes gets links and locks muddled (as in, lets do another link and I go to do a lock - doh!). Again, I now have it straight in my mind.

We also did cha cha again. We moved it on quite a bit too. I realised what people mean when they say that years of training in other forms of dance doesn't always help. We had to do a turn inwards towards our partner. Inward turns feel incredibly unnatural to me, with the possible exception of a pirouette en dedans in ballet. So I did it wrong a few times. Which usually leads me to curse to myself. Not good!

Ciara was trying to persuade me to stay for the second class, and I'm sure I will soon.