Stacey Dooley: 'Strictly' is escapism from war zones

Strictly Come Dancing star Stacey Dooley has said she wanted to dive into the glitz and glamour of the show to escape her tough and gritty day job.

The documentary maker is known for her hard-hitting BBC films focusing on subjects such as living in war zones, domestic violence, and child labour, but is currently riding high in the ballroom as the bookies’ favourite to win with her partner Kevin Clifton.

Talking about the difference between the sequinned world of Strictly and her usual job, she told This Morning: “That’s why I was keen to say yes this year, I’d been backwards and forwards to Iraq and it was quite harrowing, so I just wanted a month or two of total escapism.

“It’s the best show on TV, it’s so classy.”

Dooley and Clifton have become firm viewer favourites with dances inspired by the Minions and Doctor Who, and won rave reviews for their couple’s choice street/hip-hop routine.

The TV star admitted that doing well in the competition had become much more important to her than she expected it would be.

She said: “At the start you’re like what’s meant to be will be, just enjoy it, but then halfway through you love it so much you just don’t want to leave.

“In the results show you can see how much it means to us – you’re all grown adults, but when they read out who’s safe, it feels like the most important thing in the world.”

Danny John-Jules and Amy Dowden were the latest to leave the contest after a week which saw them plagued with rumours about bitter rows in the training room.

However, both stars have denied that there was any serious problem and John-Jules tweeted after his exit to say that he should have told his partner more often how thankful he was for her help.

This weekend, Strictly will travel to Blackpool for its annual show from the Tower Ballroom.

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