Katie: Strictly speaking, I’m NOT boring
STRICTLY Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood described her as ‘permanently looking as if she is at finishing school’ and urged her to let her hair down.
More than six months on from Katie Derham’s successful run on the popular Saturday night show, it seems the Proms presenter is still irked by the perception that she is a Miss Goody Two Shoes.
She said yesterday: ‘I don’t like the fact that people think I’m strait-laced and boring. Anyone who knows me understands it’s not true.
‘I’m as averagely horrible as the next person – above average, on many occasions. I’m really shamefaced about things I’ve done on an almost daily basis.’ Sadly for lovers of gossip, however, the 46year-old refused to go into any details. Miss Derham made her comments during an interview with Radio Times to promote the upcoming Proms season, with around 90 concerts running from July 15 to the last night on September 10.
Not only is this her seventh year as host of the annual music season, but for the first time she herself will be one of the performers.
On July 21 Miss Derham, who finished fourth in last year’s series of Strictly, will dance alongside professionals from the show in the Strictly Prom, featuring waltzes, the tango and even the Charleston. It will be broadcast live on Radio 3 and shown on BBC4 the next day.
The presenter was quick to dismiss some who have questioned whether dance has any place in the Proms.
‘An orchestral concert to celebrate the music of ballroom dancing makes perfect sense,’ she said. ‘It’s not crowbarring it in – you don’t argue about there being an orchestra at the ballet, do you? Dance and music are a natural fit.’
The mother of two also revealed that she has maintained her Strictly fitness levels by running five miles several times a week, and in May completed a 10K charity run in 63 minutes.