Strictly: Holly Valance reassures Kara Tointon!
Strictly Come Dancing newcomer Holly Valance has assured 2010 winner Kara Tointon she has nothing to worry about, after she was partnered with the actress' boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev. The show's host Bruce Forsyth jokingly said on Saturday's launch show, "If you can feel two holes burning in the back of your head, it's Kara Tointon's eyes. So be very very careful." However the former Neighbours actress said that her own boyfriend, property tycoon Nick Candy, had been "hanging out" with Kara backstage - and that the two couples planned to go "double dating". Meanwhile footballer Robbie Savage also promised to be on his best behaviour after being teamed with Ola Jordan. "Not many of the girls wanted me because I live in Manchester, everybody else lives in London, so to be fair Ola is going to have to move away from James and be in Manchester so it's difficult for Ola," he said. And he promised to do as he was told on the dancefloor. "Ola's now my teacher, what she says goes, she's the boss," Robbie admitted. Other pairings this year include One Show presenter Alex Jones with Ola's husband James Jordan, McFly drummer Harry Judd - who previously won the Strictly Children In Need special in 2010 - with Aliona Vilani, and Anton du Beke with Sven Goran Eriksson's ex-girlfriend Nancy dell'Olio. The couples now have three weeks to rehearse together before the series proper kicks off with a double bill on Friday September 30 and Saturday October 1. Each of them will perform either a waltz or a cha cha cha in the first week - with the first seven dancing on Friday's show and the second group taking to the floor on the Saturday.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.