Yahoo News 'Much excitement swirling around' as Strictly Come Dancing stars head to Blackpool
Strictly Come Dancing stars are preparing to head to Blackpool this weekend for a special edition of the show.
Professional dancer Lauren Oakley has already revealed there is “much excitement swirling round” ahead of the show. Saturday's live event will be shown at Blackpool's Tower Ballroom, just as it is every year.
The 33-year-old dancer is set to perform in Blackpool for the first time during Strictly, as she stepped in to partner with JLS singer JB Gill following Amy Dowden's injury. The BBC dancing competition comes to the seaside town every year for a one-off special and this year, there will be a performance from Pet Shop Boys performing a medley of their hits.
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Gill and Oakley will dance a quickstep to Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, and former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and partner Aljaz Skorjanec will perform a paso doble to Torn by Nathan Lanier, the PA News Agency reports. Speaking about the upcoming performance, Oakley said: “There is so much excitement swirling round in such a prestigious place for ballroom dancing, the adrenaline is intense.
“It’s the home of ballroom and Latin, I’ve grown up there and the ballroom is a magical place. As soon as you enter, all the memories and feelings come flooding back. I think there’s definitely added excitement as it’s the 20th year of Strictly, and of course a little bit of pressure, but what’s most important is to soak it all up and enjoy.
“I haven’t competed at Blackpool in Strictly yet, but the group numbers are always one to remember.”
Former Olympian and Gladiator Montell Douglas and her partner Johannes Radebe will perform a salsa to Don’t Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston, while Miranda actor Sarah Hadland and her partner Vito Coppola will perform a couples’ choice routine to Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue.
Ahead of the show, the 53-year-old actor revealed Blackpool brought back bad memories for her: “My mum took me to Blackpool when I was little. We got there and we did the rollercoaster, when our photograph came through everyone had their arms in the air but I’m nowhere to be seen. I’m in the brace position, probably screaming, brace, brace.
“After that, my mum took us to go on a little donkey ride on the beach. I got on a donkey but it got spooked. I swung under the donkey and was dragged with my face in the sand. This donkey was called something like Brenda.
“It’s like something in a horror film. After that, I think I was a bit traumatised and just came home.” Opera singer Wynne Evans and Katya Jones will perform a Charleston to Carmen Suite No 1: 5 Les Toreadors by Georges Bizet.
52-year-old Evans said his late parents “would’ve loved to be there to relive old memories with me” having visited the seaside town regularly as a child, and added “they would not have been able to believe that I’m dancing on the dancefloor”.
Comedian Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell will take on the American smooth to Paul Anka’s Jump. Speaking about performing at the venue, the 47-year-old comedian said: “It’s something that means a lot to the professional dancers.
“Strictly is a two-way relationship and they don’t get to dance there every year with a partner because they leave at different points of the competition each year. To be able to get to Blackpool with Dianne and give her that opportunity to dance there again means more to me than me being able to go there myself.”
Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool Special airs at 6.45pm on Saturday on BBC One and iPlayer, with the results show on Sunday at 7.20pm on the same channel.
