Strictly Come Dancing: We speak to the stars getting ready to rumba in the new series

Strictly Come Dancing: We speak to the stars getting ready to rumba in the new series

Anyone sitting on a train between London and Manchester in the coming weeks might be in for a surprise.

While many travellers read, chat and type on their laptops, BBC Breakfast host turned Strictly Come Dancing contestant Susanna Reid may well be doing high-kicks, shimmies and ballroom twirls.

As she splits time between the family home in London and work in Salford, she reckons every minute counts when it comes to practising and she plans to put her commuting time to good use.

“We might use the train for a bit of... training,” she says, looking like she might actually mean it.

Her partner â€" to be revealed on tomorrow night’s launch show â€" has also agreed to spend time in the North West as she juggles the day job presenting alongside former Strictly contestant Bill Turnbull, with her dance lessons.

“As soon as I finish on Breakfast we’ll go straight t o the studio for a bit of training. Obviously my partner will be an expert so he’ll be giving me some tips.

"We’ll manage.”

The 42-year-old isn’t the first female presenter to leap from BBC Breakfast to the sparkly dance contest.

The first winner, Natasha Kaplinsky, has since claimed she was forced into it by BBC chiefs, despite trying every excuse to get out of it.

Mum-of-three Susanna insists no arm-twisting was required to sign her for the Saturday night hit show.

Strictly hosts Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly

 

“I jumped at the chance â€" I didn’t need to be asked twice. I was absolutely thrilled, I have always loved Strictly, on Breakfast we often interview the dancers and their partners and whenever they come there’s always a sparkle in their eyes.

“I’ve always thought how fantastic it would be to be involved, so I count myself very lucky that this year I’ve got that opportunity.”

She admits that it will be a “bit of a manoeuvre” to reinvent herself in the role, but is happy to put herself in the hands of a professional when it comes to the sexy moves and hair-flicking.

“I’ll have a fantastic teacher who is master of all of these arts, so I’ll just have to learn how to do it,” she says.

Susanna’s big hope is to somehow impress her three sons, aged 10, nine and seven. She doesn’t want to make them cringe.

“My kids’ reactions were all different,” she explains.

“They’re all boys so I didn’t get th at ‘wow, you’re going to be a princess’ kind of reaction that I might have expected, perhaps, if I had girls.

“I don’t know what they really think. I hope they’re not embarrassed and that I can make them proud.”

In contrast, fellow contestant Sophie Ellis Bextor, 34, doesn’t give a hoot about making her three sons squirm.

Contestants Ben Cohen and Fiona Fullerton

 

She says: “This is a brilliant way to embarrass your kids. Bring it on. I love embarrassing them. Shimmying about on TV covered in sparkles is perfect.”

It turns out that only her eldest boy, Sonny, is really old enough to be aware of the show, as her others are four and one.

She says: “My nine-year-old is really up for it. He said he’d come and watch, but only my dance, which is very sweetly loyal.”

When she takes to the floor on Saturday, she will be met with a barrage of Murder on the Dance Floor quips, which some might find ever so slightly annoying.

Not Sophie.

“I love Bruce, he can say it as many times as he likes,” she says. “It’s my own fault and it’s to be expected.

"I am on a dance floor after all, so it’s OK... I’m just worried that it’ll be my own murder.”

Other Strictly ladies are also worried. Former Corrie baddie Natalie Gumede is desperate to distance herself from accusations her dan ce training gives her an unfair advantage, while Countdown’s Rachel Riley is simply concerned about putting one foot in front of the other.

Natalie, best known as Weatherfield’s evil Kirsty, is a die-hard Strictly fan who doesn’t want to suffer from “Denise van Outen syndrome”.

Trying to distance herself from Denise, who was criticised last year because she had appeared in musical Chicago, Natalie says: “I’m an actor so I went to stage school and I danced there.

"I’ve never done ballroom before so it’s very different. I haven’t danced for over 10 years and I’ve never danced professionally.

"So I’m just looking forward to learning a new skill.”

The 29-year-old adds: “It’s up to the public to see how they feel really.”

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be competing

 

Rachel, 27, is one of those who is starting right at the bottom. “I’ve got such a long way to climb. I’ve never danced before,” she wails.

“It is bizarre that the bookies have put me as the favourite to win. As soon as they watch me dance, they’ll see.

“They just think if you’re young you should be able to dance but I look at some of the dance professionals and I don’t even know some of that stuff’s possible.”

She landed the role after Brendan Cole appeared in Countdown’s Dictionary Corner.

“Nick Hewer launched a campaign to get me on Strictly and then Brendan had a word,” she laughs.

The Oxbridge graduate may not be a natural mover, but she’s still loving the whole experience.

“For my 21st I had a Strictly party. The first day here they put you in 20 different dresses to see what you look good in. It’s girl heaven.

“And where else are you going to get world-class dancers who will teach you from scratch?

"I’ve never had any grace, I’ve always been clumsy â€" I’ve got a ridiculous number of bruises on my legs already, from kicking myself mostly.”

She’s also managed to injure others during the training for the group dance - specifically James Jordan.

“I’ve hit James in areas he didn’t want to be hit,” she sighs.

Former Bond girl Fiona Fullerton reckons she too is suffering after just two days of training.

“I’m covered in bruises. I’ve tweeted a pic of them,” the 56-year-old guffaws.

The men seem less afflicted. Designer Julien McDonald claims he can’t dance but doesn’t seem overly perturbed.

For him, it’s all about the clothes...

“When I went to wardrobe they said, ‘What do you want to wear?’ and I said, ‘I love all those dresses’ so I tried them all on.

Natalie Gumede is also taking part

 

“They said they’d never had a man who wanted to wear the dresses. Then I put my trousers over them.

"I’m in Strictly, I want to look like I’m in Strictly and have fun.”

Actor Mark Benton, 47, looks shocked to hear that he’d been described as the dark horse of the competition. “More like a shire horse,” he quips.

Meanwhile Hairy Biker Dave Myers says he signed up after his fellow cook, Si King, wanted to take three or four months off.

“This came at the right time â€" it’s the best party ever,” he beams.

Rugby star Ben Cohen is unimpressed with Tess Daly’s assertion that sportsmen on the show sometimes struggle to convey emotion during dances.

He says: “I played rugby with a lot of emotion. The struggle for me is more about leaving your inhibitions at the door â€" I feel like a lorry trying to turn in a small car park. I need to let that bit go.”

The married dad of six-year-old twin daughters has no qua lms about stripping off, or going spangly.

“I like the sequins, I’m going to embrace it,” he says. “Will I dance with my top off? Google it, I’m half-naked all the time for Christ’s sake.”

He reckons that most of his family tend to have “two left feet” but is proud of their sporting achievements.

“What runs in our family is world champions.

“We’ve have a world champion boxer, world champion footballer and world champion rugby player.

“It skips a generation. But can we dance? Who knows.”

Strictly Come Dancing, BBC1, tomorrow, 6.50pm.

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