Carry on dancing (From The Northern Echo)

Carry on dancing

11:23am Thursday 17th September 2009

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It’s looking more and more certain that life isn’t going to be a merry dance for all 16 celebrities in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition on BBC1. Steve Pratt looks at the contestants.

EVEN before Lynda Bellingham has been tangoed or Joe Calzaghe delivered a knockout chacha- cha, Strictly Come Dancing waltzed into fresh controversy. As if the John Sergeant fiasco and the voting chaos last year wasn’t enough, producers managed to incite fresh anger by ditching judge Arlene Phillips in favour of Strictly champ Alesha Dixon and, in the last three shows, ballet dancer Darcey Bussell.

None of the new batch of 16 celebrity contestants had set foot on the dancefloor before another row developed over former professional tennis player Martina Hingis, banned for two years after positive drug tests, was selected to compete in the seventh series beginning tomorrow.

At least the new series will be scrupulously fair. Following the voting cock-up, the scoring methodology – to quote the BBC phrase – has been “revised slightly”. So slightly the BBC press pack takes six pages to explain the scoring system.

The series kicks off with shows on both Friday and Saturday for two weeks, which some might consider overkill. The BBC is determined to get the most out of the show even if it leaves viewers suffering from dance fatigue.

Past form – in the shape of cricketing winners Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash – means that the sporting personalities lead the favourites to take home the Strictly glitterball trophy.

Will the fancy footwork in the ring of Joe Calzaghe, Britain’s only undefeated boxing world champion, translate on to the dancefloor? For partner Kristina Rihanoff anything would be better than being dragged around like a sack of potatoes by John Sergeant.

The Italian Dragon talks of having two left feet (not to be confused with a left hook), adding, “I managed to stay undefeated in the ring but I have a feeling that this is going to be far harder.”

Jockey Richard Dunwoody won the big three races – the Grand National, the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup – in the Eighties and Ninties but he had his feet off the ground at the time. He’s the first jockey to foxtrot across the Strictly dancefloor. His dance partner Lilia Kopylova won with Darren Gough and came second with another sportsman, Matt Dawson.

Two-time Commonwealth Games and European Championship silver medallist Jade Johnson hopes her training schedule for the 2012 Olympics will help her take the Strictly crown, although she doesn’t sound too confident as she recalls appearing as the mystery guest on A Question Of Sport and having to perform a Beyonce song. “It was an absolute nightmare, I told myself after that experience that I would never do anything that involved choreography in the future. I must be mad,” says the athlete who’ll partner Ian Waite.

Former cricketer Phil Tufnell has already been crowned King of the Jungle after winning I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

He’s also a team captain on A Question Of Sport and reports for The One Show but has no previous dance experience. He says his wife Dawn “isn’t too impressed with my moves – she would give me five out of ten”.

Hopefully his Strictly professional partner Katya Virshilas will score him higher. Chris Hollins, who’ll be dancing with Ola Jordan, has sporting connections as the face of sport on BBC Breakfast. There’s one thing to which he’s looking forward more than learning to dance – meeting his all-time hero Bruce Forsyth.

Lynda Bellingham, the bookies’ favourite to be one of the first voted off, has just taken off her clothes in public for the stage play Calendar Girls so dancing for the Oxo mum can’t hold any fears, can it? She’s most worried what her family will say, thinking her sons will be horrified. “Embarrassing mum and all that,” she explains. Darren Bennett who partnered Jill Halfpenny to victory in 2004 will be taking her in his arms on the floor.

Strictly wouldn’t be Strictly without an ex- EastEnders or two. Natalie Cassidy’s career includes portraying trumpet-playing Sonia Fowler in the Albert Square soap and making a record-breaking fitness DVD. She sounds more than confident: “I am going to win. I feel like I’ve won already. I’m going to give this show 250 per cent and am in it to win it”. Her partner Vincent Simone doesn’t lack confidence either, despite his ridiculous eyebrow wink.

Ricky Groves, partnered with Erin Boag, has just finished playing mechanic Gary Hobbs – Gormless Gary, I call him – in EastEnders. He’s always wanted to dance since he saw John Travolta strutting his stuff in Saturday Night Fever. He’s prepared to do anything to win, even spray on the artificial tan.

Craig Kelly made his name in Queer As Folk, but is currently residing in Weatherfield as Coronation Street’s ladykiller Luke Strong.

He takes to the floor with Flavia Cacace, while Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle has newcomer Natalie Lowe in his arms. He’s known for wearing little more than his underwear in that soap so he’s probably looking forward to putting on spangly suits and sparkling jumpers.

Ex-PC and Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding is worried about wardrobe malfunction. That translates as splitting his trousers. His 27in thighs are the problem. He’s already burst out of three suits and worried viewers “might see a little more than they anticipated”. His partner Aliona Vilani, a newcomer to the series, must be on tenterhooks.

The Bill’s PC Sally Armstrong has American Brian Fortuna as her partner and is looking forward to the frocks, although acknowledging “it’s probably a girly cliché”.

Swiss Miss Martina Hingis, on the other hand, goes on about discipline. It’s important when training for tennis competitions and she aims to bring the same attitude to dancing.

The line-up even includes a pair of WAGS.

Not real ones, but actresses from ITV’s late, lamented Footballers Wives. Zoe Lucker was scheming, sexy Tanya Turner who indulged in murder, adultery, babyswapping and fake tanning. James Jordan is her partner, while Laila Rouass has the ever-popular Anton Du Beke. She first caught the eye as Jimmy Chooobsessed serial schemer Amber Gates in Footballers’ Wives and went on to star in Primeval.

Then we have Jo Wood, estranged wife of a certain Rolling Stone who’s billed as “the coolest grandmother in rock and roll” and “a glamorous green queen” with an organic beauty range.

She’s paired with Strictly bad boy (ie he argues with the judges) Brendan Cole.

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