The Touring Celebs Speak

The Daily Mail caught up with the Strictly touring celebs to see what they had to say.

Jodie Kidd: "I love fast sports, but even so, it was terrifying to swap my jodhpurs and boots for Lycra and sequins, because I am not a natural dancer. I had to put in a lot of hours to even pass muster because, at 6ft 1in, my biggest challenge was to control my limbs. I was paired with Ian Waite, who is also tall, and they called us the gargantuan couple."

Jill Halfpenny: "The show has grown so big since I first did it. It was only in its second series then. I remember asking: "Will it be OK for my career?" In fact, it gave it a huge boost and I wouldn't have gone on to play Roxy in the West End musical Chicago, nor other roles, had it not been for Strictly."

Kenny Logan: "No one could have predicted that I'd become famous more as a dancer than a rugby player. On Halloween, 20 kids came to my house and I heard one of them saying: "This is where that dancer lives!""

Tom Chambers: "On television it looks as though it's all a gentleman's handshake, but after the voting controversy, Camilla had to stand up to her professional rivals, Vincent Simone and Brendan Cole, to defend our title. They've done six series and they get very het up if they think there's something out of the ordinary. Being in Strictly is like being in a fantasy world. You can get caught up in the moment, even thinking: "My God, I'm having feelings for you.""

Rachel Stevens: "The celebrities and partners stay all stay in the same hotel and travel on coaches together. I was disappointed not to win. I'll let Tom off, but I'm going to thrash him on the tour!"

Cherie Longhi: "There were reports that head judge Len Goodman said I was too ancient to win the television competition. I doubt he said exactly that, but if so, it would be a shame because my age should be a cause for celebration."

Julian Clary: "I used to lie awake at night planning my revenge after the judges had spoken. My best line was telling Craig: "You wouldn't know a Paso Doble if you sat on one." I'll have worse for him in store for the Strictly tour, but I can relax, as no one gets sent home from that!"

Gethin Jones: "It's great to be doing the live show, albeit with Flavia. Camilla's run off and left me for Tom - but she's with someone who can dance, so she's delighted. Flavia's changed a few things. We're doing the salsa and she's making me do some ridiculous neckbreaking moves which I have to get right for the 43 shows of the tour."