Chris McCausland admits Strictly could have been 'absolute disaster'

What did you miss?

Chris McCausland has admitted that his stint on Strictly could have been "an absolute disaster".

The comedian lost his sight 24 years ago at 22 because of hereditary condition Retinitis Pigmentosa and is making history as the first blind contestant on the BBC ballroom show. He and his pro partner Dianne Buswell have made it to the halfway stage of the contest.

During an appearance on The One Show, McCausland said there had been "very real concern" as he went into the competition, and expressed his surprise about having made it so far.

What, how and why?

The star was on the sofa along with Buswell on Wednesday, 30 October and presenter Clara Amfo mentioned that McCausland hadn't expected to still be a contender halfway through Strictly.

"No, this could have been an absolute disaster couldn't it?" he agreed. "I had never danced, didn't know if I could dance, my nerves on that first episode were through the roof!"

"It was a very real concern but we are here and we are doing alright aren't we?" he went on. "And when we don't do alright, when we didn't do alright last week, everybody out there seemed to think we had been doing alright enough to keep us in! So I am happy with that!"

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The star was also quizzed about how different things are on the live shows, compared to rehearsals. He explained that the audience noise can throw him off as he usually relies on hearing Buswell when they are training.

He said the BBC offered to ask the crowd to stay silent during his dances, but that he said no.

"When you are training I have a sense of Dianne around me and the space around me but when you have got an audience in there making a lot of noise it all closes in around you and I can’t really hear Dianne at all," he said. "It makes it very different and that’s where a lot of nerves came from for the first episode. I was worried about, could I do all of this in that environment?

"They did offer me and say would you like us to ask the audience to remain quiet while you are dancing so that it doesn’t affect you. It was a nice offer but I’d rather just go out in a blaze of glory in two weeks than do eight weeks in silence!"

"I’m a comedian, I like an audience reaction - I’ll do anything for one!" he laughed.

Dianne Buswell said Chris McCausland 'brilliant to work with'

Buswell has previously told how she and McCausland use a lot of explanations and touch and feel in training, as she can't just show him the steps.

"It has been a big change for me," she said. "Obviously I have Chris in mind always when I am choreographing. I want him to feel as comfortable as possible.

"I feel like so far we have done a really great job. Chris is incredible. There is nothing that Chris says no to. He wants me to choreograph like I would with anybody else. He wants all the hard stuff and even if there is something that maybe doesn’t sit right, he is like, 'No give me a little bit more time and I reckon I can do this'."

"He has got such a great work ethic and he has been absolutely brilliant to work with," she said.

The One Show airs on weekdays on BBC One at 7pm.