McFly star Tom Fletcher knows he's got a lot to live up to as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing this year — after all, he watched his bandmate Harry Judd lift the glitterball trophy back in 2011.
Now, 10 years later, it's Tom's turn to step onto the dance floor and wow us all with his fancy footwork. With Harry on hand to advise him, you might think that he's got an advantage on his castmates — but Tom isn't even sure he can trust Harry not to secretly sabotage him!
Here's what Tom had to say ahead of his dancefloor debut...
Tom Fletcher on why he wanted to compete on Strictly
"Secretly, somewhere deep down, I've wanted to do it since my bandmate Harry did it 10 years ago, because I watched him every week in the studio. I feel like I've had some sort of secret desire to do it since then! I always felt like if I did it, there would be pressure — Strictly's been a part of McFly's life, a part of our history. It's been Harry's thing for a while, so I guess I did feel like there would be pressure for me to go far, but after 10 years, I feel like I just want to have a fun experience. You only get to do Strictly once, this show is a national treasure, so I just want to have the best time and not worry about competing with Harry Judd!"
Has Harry given you any tips?
"I can't shut him up about Strictly — I haven't been able to stop him talking about it for 10 years! I don't know whether I should trust his advice, or if he's secretly trying to steer me in the wrong direction, because he's quite competitive. I don't know how far he wants me to go!"
What do your family make of you going on Strictly?
"My eldest son, Buzz, over the last couple of years has been such a huge fan of Strictly — like, really emotionally invested. A couple of years ago, he cried his eyes out when Chris Ramsey got voted out! When I told my sister, she burst out laughing in my face. Even now, I can't say the word 'Strictly' without her cracking up and laughing. That wasn't what I expected."
How would you rate your fitness at this point?
"I can't touch my toes! I am so not flexible. When I signed up, I said I was going to get in shape, I was going to do yoga and pilates, I'm going to eat well — that all went out the window!"
Which judge are you hoping to impress?
"Craig [Revel Horwood] is the only judge who will have seen Harry and me, so I'd quite like to impress Craig because he'll be the only one that can compare us!"
- The Strictly Come Dancing launch show is on Saturday September 18 on BBC1 at 7.45pm.
