Former Strictly Come Dancing star Kate Silverton is the perfect person to reveal exactly how the 2021 group of contestants were feeling during Saturday’s nerve-wracking show, having competed in it herself in 2018.
Joining us for our very first Strictly Insider, the TV personality chatted first show jitters, and how she goes through the same emotions as the contestants, even now!
WATCH: Kate Silverton joins Strictly Insider to talk the nerve-wracking first episode
Chatting to HELLO! about her own first show, Kate explained: “I never knew feet could sweat with nerves! I was sliding in my feet thinking, ‘This is bizarre, what is happening, this has never happened before!’
“It is a complete overwhelm on the senses… In rehearsals it’s amazing, you get these endorphin highs, and you’re training like an athlete and it’s just fun - and then it gets to Friday and Saturday and if you’re not used to performing, it’s hideous! It’s hideous and beautiful in equal measure.”
Kate performed with Aljaž Škorjanec in 2018
The star also opened up about knowing exactly how the contestants must have been feeling on Saturday night, joking that she can “feel the relief” after they pull off their dance routines.
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“I remember us standing in the stairs, and digging my nails into my partner’s hand, so I do think what it must be like for them before going on,” Kate explained. “It makes it all the more impressive when you see people who haven’t performed before. You know what it’s like when you haven’t had any formal training - and you feel the relief when they finish the dance!”
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