‘I still can’t dance’

CREATING one of the UK's most-watched TV programmes wasn't on Parker's mind at all when he agreed to do the debut BBC1 series of Strictly Come Dancing his first fears were over not being able to dance at all. "To be honest, when they approached me, and I remember this like the back of my hand, at the start I was really very sceptical. Bruce Forsyth! Well I hadn't seen him around for ages and those costumes! I couldn't see myself wearing those. I was wearing funky clothes for teenage magazines. The biggest thing was I couldn't dance and I knew that I couldn't dance, even when I went out clubbing.

"I said to them are you really sure?' and didn't really jump at the chance to do it. In the end I thought that it sounded like a lot of fun and there were good people doing it and they managed to convince me. Having said all that, the minute I started I loved it and it was the best experience of my life which goes to show you shouldn't jump to your first conclusion."

How does he feel that his fans now rate his dancing performance above that of the impact he made in EastEnders as Spencer Moon?

"It was great for me because I got the chance to show my personality as opposed to my whole life as an actor where I was someone else. Doing that show I could be myself and really get confidence in the fact that the public voted to keep me in and I didn't ever try to be someone else. I was comfortable being myself in front of the camera, which was great, and actually changed my career direction anyway because since then I've been presenting on telly."

He's made the odd acting return in series like Hotel Babylon, but he believes that Strictly Come Dancing pushed him in into presenting.

"I'm not a dancer, never have been, never will be, so I didn't take the judges' criticism to heart like my partner Hanna (Karttunen), who I saw again recently. I did notice that the public was always being asked are you voting for Natasha, or Claire Sweeney or Chris and Hanna' which made us more of a team. She did take the judges' views seriously because she was a world series Latin champion and, afterwards, she'd be devastated by some of the comments. I could brush it off and go back to working on EastEnders, but it was her life and when I was exhausted and went home she would continue rehearsing for her other professional dances. It was funny that the two people who initially resisted the idea, me and Natasha, got to the final."

He reveals that he and his dance partner decided to break a lot of rules during each dance and go for entertainment value and audience support rather than judging approval.

Now he's agreed to do a UK tour with a range of Strictly Come Dancing contestants and professional dancers, which includes dates at Newcastle's MetroRadio Arena, having not danced a step since the final.

"My first thought was that it was amazing because it was really good fun and I'd enjoyed the show. Then my other thoughts were I couldn't dance when I was in the show and I haven't danced for three years since I was in there and how on Earth was I going to do it.

Even now, I've just spoken to them and they haven't given us much rehearsal time and I'm petrified."

Parker is seriously worried about the eight days of preparation he's got with a brand new partner, Nicole Cutler, who kept footballer John Barnes in the competition for so long this year.

"It's really scary because I've just moved house and I cleaned out the cupboards and found my dance shoes. That kind of gave me a sign that I should do this tour," he says and is looking forward to living out of a suitcase for six weeks and dancing at some of the UK's biggest arena venues.

That style of life isn't that strange to him because he spends most of his time jetting between London and Los Angeles where he was a hit with a show called Dead Famous Live.

The stage version of Strictly Come Dancing will also feature several of the well-known judges including Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Arlene Phillips.

"I want to say I hate Craig the most because he was so horrible to me in the first series. Out of everyone he was the one who was personal with his attacks. He called me a one-legged monkey. Arlene I've known for years and I knew she meant what she said. However, over the last two years I've got to know Craig and got on well with him, but when he puts on that suit and half-a-ton of hairgel he inherits a character like a pantomime dame and I have to say, when he's in that character, he's the one I dislike the most. He's the scariest."

Parker wasn't aware that the audience will be voting on the night by holding up a card, similar to the Ready Steady Cook-style of selection which should add an interesting spin to the judges' opinion.

"The judges will be revelling in the fact that they've got this huge audience to play up to because they really seem to love the cheers and the jeers. I don't know how the voting will work, but it will be a good show."

PARKER is hopeful that his dances will be tangos and paso dobles rather than the more formal foxtrots because other contestants like Letitia Dean and Matt Di Angelo are coming fresh from this year's TV series. There is one dark side to dance for the ex-EastEnder. He's been branded as suffering the curse' of Strictly Come Dancing which is supposed to have led to his EastEnders departure.

"I don't like the newspaper which ran that story. All I can say is that it was a great time in my life and made me realise in what direction I wanted to go in and I've worked ever since."

There were rumours that he'd contemplated suicide back in 2003, but when asked if things were as tough as reported at the time, Parker replies: "Was it as tough as people made out? I don't know what to say and I really don't want to talk about it, but I appreciate you're under pressure to ask me. You have to remember that Strictly Come Dancing and EastEnders are two of the biggest shows on television and you can't really match that in terms of profile, but in terms of career satisfaction and money and longevity I've been really lucky.

"I've done This Morning, CD UK, MTV and I've had a great career in the States and I've got a show to go back to in February (a film show called Cinetechs) and, hopefully, there's another MTV. I wouldn't have that without Strictly Come Dancing." It's also a fact that the dance show would have folded after one series without the dedication and enthusiasm of the celebrity contestants.

"It's funny you should say that because what they pitched to us on paper and what the show ended up being was entirely different.

They said four hours a week rehearsal in reality it was 25 hours a week probably more and when I was doing EastEnders as well it was a hard, hard slog. I intended to be the Ruby Wax of dance, rubbish but funny, but as soon as I started I realised I owed so much to my partner that I couldn't do that. I couldn't get away with being lax in the public's eyes."

Whether he intended to be lax or not, Parker has gone on to be a charity champion as well and regularly runs marathons to help good causes like Barnardos.

"It's an addictive thing for me, when I get involved I just can't let go," he admits modestly.

* Strictly Come Dancing runs at the MetroRadio Arena, Newcastle, on January 21, 22 and 23. Box Office: 0844-493-6666