New Strictly star Emma Barton: I’m not leaving EastEnders!
Strictly star reassures fans that Honey is staying in Walford
Emma Barton is about to dazzle the nation, twirling beneath the glitterballs on this year’s Strictly. But she’s keen to reassure EastEnders fans that this doesn’t mean she is leaving soapland.
“I’m going to have to juggle filming with Strictly but I will manage both because I’m a hard worker,” says Emma, who left the soap twice before, in 2008 and 2014.
“Honey’s not going anywhere; she’s just swapping the tabard for a bit of sparkle for now.
"Strictly is the best, it’s the classiest show you can do so it would be really silly to say no to it.”
Although Emma has some West End experience under her belt, she reveals she’s still nervous about learning a completely new style of dance. “I haven’t done any dancing or any sort of movement for about eight years, but I’ve got musicality,” she says.
“I’ve not trained specifically in dance but from the age of 18 I did three years of musical theatre school so I do know some of the basics. However I was at the bottom of every dance class – that’s a true fact – so it will be great to start again. I’m willing to learn and I’m a hard worker but the fast dances worry me.”
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Main picture of Emma Barton: WireImage