I Kon understand the Strictly Curse
FORMER Blue Peter star Konnie Huq says she can understand why Strictly celebs have affairs with their professional partners.
The presenter has filmed a Blue Peter Strictly special for Children in Need, to air during Friday’s telethon.
She says it showed her how easy it would be for something more than friendship to develop.
Mum-of-two Konnie, 42, says: “I know Strictly celebs are renowned for going off with their dancers and you can see why that happens.
“The training involves long days and, call me prudish, but some of the moves are quite intimate. If you don’t cling on very tightly to your partner you’re going to fall on the floor, so I can see it can feel like you’re crossing the line. I was doing a jive, a fast and fun dance, but some of the more intense dances I can see would feel awkward.”
Of course, nothing like that happened with her partner Neil Jones, 35, who is married to fellow pro dancer Katya.
They were too busy trying to make Konnie’s moves look good. She says: “When we realised I’ve no co-ordination, I told Neil to put loads of lifts in our routine, explaining, ‘That way I’m not dancing, you can chuck me about everywhere and it’ll look good’. But because I don’t have any muscle tone, I pulled a muscle in my stomach and had to go to physio. So we then had to take all the lifts out.”
Konnie, married to TV’s Charlie Brooker, dances against the other ex-Blue Peter stars – including Anthea Turner and Tim Vincent – but admits she was the “Ann Widdecombe of the bunch”.