Tom Chambers: "Everything Feels So Fake"

Tom Chambers has been speaking out about Strictly Come Dancing, suggesting that all the contestants secretly hate each other off camera.

However, the comments published in The Sun were made during an interview Tom gave to comedian Scott Capurro at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. So I think it's fair to say that the comments may have been a little tonge-in-cheek.

Tom told the crowd: "When you appear on Strictly Come Dancing everything feels so fake. They tell you that you have to keep smiling the whole time when everyone's talking to Tess after they've performed. The producers would say if you look grumpy in the background 'People might vote you off for looking like you're not loving it all as much as you should'. Everyone on Strictly pretends to be friends, but we're all really competitive. I only ever pretended to be friends with Austin Healey because everyone wants to think of us as friends. But I'd take him out given the chance!"

He also commented on being part of the arena tour: "It was five months of hell. Five months of grinning like a fool and dancing like some kind of performing monkey, night after night, all across the country. But people seemed to like it. I guess that's what it's all about."

Five months? Methinks Tom was perhaps exagerating. And perhaps someone who hasn't had much other work on since shouldn't complain about the programme that made him a household name.