Craig Revel Horwood is the pantomime villain of Strictly Come Dancing judges, frequently boo-ed for his acerbic wit and scathing put-downs.
READ: Why Craig Revel Horwood's wedding with fiancé Jonathan may be inspired by Strictly
But, as he says: "I do it with a twinkle in my eye," and in truth he is a firm favourite on the hit dance show. It’s won him friends in high places, such as the Duchess of Cornwall, whom he spun around the floor for a cha-cha-cha in 2009, when they met at an event for the Royal Osteoporosis Society, of which he is patron and she is president.
WATCH: Craig Revel Horwood opened up about his surprise engagement with partner Jonathan
And as he speaks in detail for the first time about plans for his wedding to 43-year-old horticulturist Jonathan Myring, the dancer, choreographer and director exclusively tells HELLO!: "Of course I’ll be inviting the future Queen! I’d love her to be there. She’s such fun and a lovely person and will make a fantastic Queen Consort.
The Strictly judge dancing with the Duchess of Cornwall in 2009
"I’d like Shirley Bassey to be there, too. I’d be very lucky if Shirley sings, but if not, I’ll belt out her numbers instead."
Love at first sight
The All Balls & Glitter Tour includes a question and answer session – and Craig promises: "There are no limits to what I’ll divulge, daahling."
RELATED: Who is Craig Revel Horwood's partner? Get the details
SEE: Strictly Come Dancing professionals' romantic wedding and engagement photos
His fellow Strictly judges and dancers will be in the audience, as will his fiancé. The couple met on Tinder in 2018 and have been engaged since March 2020 – but it might never have been if Jonathan had listened to his aunt’s words of caution before their first date.
Craig and Jonathan got engaged in 2020
"She tried to put him off me," he says. "'You’re not meeting that Craig Revel Horwood, are you? He’s really nasty,' she warned him. But he’d never watched Strictly so wasn’t aware of me.
"I knew as soon as I saw him that he was The One. We had an hour-long speed date over lunch – which I would recommend to everyone as I’ve been on three-hour dates with people I can’t stand – and then arranged to meet two weeks later."
RELATED: Strictly's Amy Dowden invites fans to vote on her wedding dress
The All Balls & Glitter Tour, 22 March-27 May; for tickets, visit socomedy.co.uk.
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