Judge Rinder took time out of his busy schedule for Strictly Come Dancing to take part in a special event for a good cause, Gloria Hunniford's annual Strictly Tea Dancing at London's Langham Hotel.
"If anyone had predicted a year ago that I'd be spending a Sunday afternoon dancing in front of all those people at the Langham Hotel, I'd have presumed they were drunk. But Strictly has given me the dancing bug. What I'd now like to see is a series of clubs springing up dedicated to cocktails and foxtrots," the popular contestant of this year's series told HELLO! magazine.
Judge Rinder and Oksana danced at the Langham hotel
Waltzing its way onto the social calendar, the glitzy sell-out event was Gloria's idea after taking part in the popular BBC1 dance series in 2005 to help raise funds for The Caron Keating Foundation, set up in memory of her daughter who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2004.
Judge Rinder opened up about his experience on Strictly so far
"I didn't have to be asked twice to take part in Strictly Tea Dancing. The Caron Keating Foundation is a charity that does such amazing work and Gloria is such an inspiration." said Judge Rinder. Of his new found love of dancing and his partner Oksana Platero, he added: "I can't quite say that Strictly has changed my life but it's certainly given me renewed respect for dancers and those who teach them - like Oksana." The event also included a spectacular performance by some of the cast of Mamma Mia, and was attended by a host of celebrities, including Gloria's Rip Off Britain co-hosts Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville, Brian Conley, Vanessa Feltz and Saira Khan.
