With ‘Strictly’ trouncing ‘The X Factor’ in the ratings war and this weekend’s show proving to be a spook-tacular event to coincide with Hallowe’en, we thought we’d go behind the scenes and provide you with a few interesting titbits! Have you ever wanted to know how many sequins are used to bling up the dancer’s dresses or what happens when ‘Sir Brucie’ goes off on one of his tangents during the show? If so, look no further as you’ll (hopefully) find the answers here and who knows, it might persuade you to join coach holidays to see the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour when this season comes to an end and the winner is revealed. Who do you think will be in the final three after the performances so far? We’d love to hear your views so get in touch…
What happens when Sir Bruce Forsyth goes off on a tangent?
According to a recent article in the media, Tess Daly says that a gentle nudge in the ribs is all it takes to get ‘Brucie’ back on track during the show. How do the dancers look so good on the show? Apparently according to recent reports, the Strictly Come Dancing contestants get through at least one bottle of fake tan per couple per show – no wonder they all look so golden!
Who gets the most fan mail on the show?
You would have thought that it would be the celebrities taking part in the competition that receives the most fan-mail but this isn’t the case, in fact it is one of the judges, a certain Len Goodman who gets more mail than anyone on the show.
Did you know that a lot of the dancers go commando on the show?
It’s true. Each dress has a leotard as a base so there’s no need to wear underwear, although some performers prefer
to. They have to be extremely careful that there isn’t a nude base otherwise it can look like the dancers aren’t wearing anything at all, especially with all the high kicks and lifts!
How many sequins appear on the dresses worn by the dancers?
Hard to believe but to get the full-on bling effect, each dress has approx. 10,080 sequins. One dress can cost up to £2,100 and takes 10 dressmakers up to two and a half weeks to make. Did you know that some of the dresses are never worn? Dresses start being made in July and there are 14 dresses for each of the 14 women (seven celebrities and seven professional dancers). Apparently many of the dresses that have been made are never worn by the contestants because the dancer with the fewest votes in the first show will never get to wear her other 13 dresses.
Want to know a few secrets about the professional dancers? Take a look below and before the week is out, we’ll reveal the secrets of the male professional dancers too…
Flavia Cacace (dancing with Russell Grant)
She can actually play the violin and got up to Grade 7 before her love of dancing took over. She tends to use violin-playing as therapy to de-stress when times get tough.
Erin Boag (was dancing with Rory Bremner till voted out)
Erin is a huge rugby fan and as a result she can do the legendary Maori War Dance – The Haka. She uses the Haka to get pumped up and at times she doesn’t need a drink to do it, she’ll just get on with it in her living room and it doesn’t matter who is around to see – bet you never knew that?
Ola Jordan (dancing with Robbie Savage)
Ola is quite simply the techy geek of the show and has all the latest gadgets including iphone, ipad – you name it, she’s got it! She’s also incredibly shy and has to get to know someone before she can relax – you wouldn’t think so would you?
Katya Virshilas (was dancing with Dan Lobb till voted out)
Ever wanted to know who is the cleanest of the show? Well, Katya will tell you that she is absolutely ‘Monica’ from Friends (the cleaning obsessed one) when it comes to cleaning and is a complete clean freak! Her apartment is one of the cleanest and most organised around and if she cooks, she has to tidy as she goes!
Kristina Rihanoff (dancing with Jason Donovan)
Unknown to many but Kristina is a home body and loves nothing better than plonking on her apron and cooking wonderful Russian delights in her kitchen. Apparently she uses it as a form of relaxation and it enables her to completely switch off from dancing for a bit.
Natalie Lowe (dancing with Audley Harrison)
It’s only natural that by dancing with a sportsman, it may entice you to get sporty but apparently this has already happened for Natalie as she is a huge fan of, believe it or not, fishing! Being brought up in Sydney has given Natalie a love for all things water-related, as well as fishing, she also likes to water-ski!
Have you been one of the lucky few who got tickets through the ballot to appear in the audience of Strictly? If so, you must tell us what it’s like…