Strictly Come Dancing is launching this weekend and we cannot wait to see the celebrities take to the dancefloor to show off their best moves.
And it seems that for Nigel Harman, there is one fellow celebrity dancer who he would like to avoid battling if he ended up in the dreaded dance-off!
Chatting to HELLO! and other press at a recent Q&A event ahead of the Ballroom and Latin competition's first episode this weekend, the Casualty actor revealed that he was impressed by Angela Rippon's Charleston during a recent rehearsal.
The 50-year-old said: "We did a Charleston move on the day. We all got together, and it didn't look good on me. But Rippon…" Amanda Abbington, who joined Nigel for the Q&A, added: "She doesn't break a sweat. But she's amazing!"
Nigel then admitted that whoever comes up against the former Come Dancing presenter in the dreaded dance-off faces competition. The former EastEnders star made the comments while explaining how far he's hoping to reach in the series.
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© Kieron McCarron"I'd like to stay in long enough to learn enough bits. Ultimately, it all depends on who you get in the dance-off. I mean, if you get Rippon in the dance-off, you're out!"
He also revealed which Strictly milestone he wants to hit: "I'd like to stay in long enough to learn something. I quite like the idea that somebody wants to put you or me in a room with somebody who's brilliant at something.
© Jack Hall"I was just speaking to one of the professionals, they've won something like six world titles and 12 GB titles, and they are going to be in a room with whoever and they're going to be teaching you. So, you're going to learn something."
Every Strictly Come Dancing winner so far
- 2004: Natisha Kaplinsky (partner Brendan Cole)
- 2004: Jill Halfpenny (partner Darren Bennett)
- 2005: Darren Gough (partner Lilia Kopylova)
- 2006: Mark Ramprakash (partner Karen Hardy)
- 2007: Alesha Dixon (partner Matthew Cutler)
- 2008: Tom Chambers (partner Camilla Dallerup)
- 2009: Chris Hollins (partner Ola Jordan)
- 2010: Kara Tointon (partner Artem Chigvintsev)
- 2011: Harry Judd (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2012: Louis Smith (partner Flavia Cacace)
- 2013: Abbey Clancy (partner Aljaž Škorjanec)
- 2014: Caroline Flack (partner Pasha Kovalev)
- 2015: Jay McGuiness (partner Aliona Vilani)
- 2016: Ore Oduba (partner Joanne Clifton)
- 2017: Joe McFadden (partner Katya Jones)
- 2018: Stacey Dooley (partner Kevin Clifton)
- 2019: Kelvin Fletcher (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2020: Bill Bailey (partner Oti Mabuse)
- 2021: Rose Ayling-Ellis (partner Giovanni Pernice)
- 2022: Hamza Yassin (partner Jowita Przystał)
- 2023: Ellie Leach (partner Vito Coppola)
It's perhaps unsurprising that the celebrities are heaping compliments on Angela for her moves as the 78-year-old, who is Strictly's oldest competitor, has revealed she has mastered a high kick and can even do the splits.
© Kieron McCarronSpeaking at the same Q&A event, Angela told HELLO! and other press: "The fact that I can do the high kick is because I'm so flexible because I know you've got to be fit for the job you'd be doing.
The most recent thing I've done requiring real stamina was when I was doing the Queen's funeral. I was on the air at 3am on television and I came off at 4:30 in the afternoon, 13 hours, and you can't do that if you're not fit."
The broadcaster added: "The fact I can do splits and high kicks is kind of like a party trick, if you do the Rumba or the Cha-Cha-Cha a really lovely Waltz and Tango that requires you to dance."
