strictly cast 2021© Photo: BBC

This surprising secret about Strictly costumes has been revealed - and we bet you never noticed

The show's costume designer spilled some behind-the-scenes secrets

Lifestyle Features Editor
November 7, 2021

The costume designer on Strictly Come Dancing has spilled some behind-the-scenes secrets from the BBC show - including a surprising secret about the men's dance costumes. Vicky Gill joined Scott Mills on the series' official podcast back in 2018, and revealed that many of the outfits worn by the male contestants and professionals feature an all-in-one design, with a shirt sewn into a pair of pants.

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"Well on shirts and things like that we're always putting them onto pants so you step into a onesie which is always a bit of a surprise," Vicky said, to which former contestant Scott admitted he had been surprised by the trick during his time on the show.

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"See I just didn't realise that they are really smart trousers, and a very smart shirt but you step into the trousers and pull the shirt around you like a onesie," he revealed.

Vicky went onto explain there was a logical reason for the design, saying it's to stop costumes looking messy. "Yeah absolutely and the thing is for your lines, for your positions you just don’t need any distractions do you?" she said. "You don't want shirts coming out and feeling it up into your jacket, you just need to be smooth and comfortable."

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© Photo: BBC

The Strictly Come Dancing costumes never fail to impress audiences

The costume designer also revealed the biggest wardrobe malfunctions that have happened over previous years, saying that although nothing has yet gone seriously wrong, there are often small issues that have gone unnoticed by viewers.

"There's things like - I mean I shouldn’t really reveal things but you know, people have been on live with pins still in the hem and things like that, and then we've clocked it you know and the eyes go wild and you think 'Oh my goodness there is pins in that person's hem,'" Vicky confessed.

She added: "You know there is little things along the way like that, that are happening constantly and on average there will be one person a week that maybe isn't feeling their costume or you know there's just a bit of an issue, but by the time we get to live on Saturday night we will have found a solution."

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