LOVE IS IN AIR I love Maisie, she looks incredible.. we can’t be near each other now, but who knows after the show..
Singer HRVY hints at romance with EastEnders star
Janette is like my big sister, she’s looking after me and brings me a packed lunch
They haven’t hit the dance floor yet, but things are hotting up between Strictly’s two youngest contestants. EastEnders’ Maisie Smith and singer HRVY are both single and seem to have their minds on more than the Glitterball.
HRVY, 21, confesses: “I love Maisie, she’s a great girl and has got great banter. When I saw her in her blue dress last week, she looked incredible. I can’t wait to see her grow and look amazing every week.”
Maisie, 19, was keen to catch HRVY’s attention earlier this week, when she commented on a social media post of him in his pants, posing for his 2021 calendar.
After jokingly comparing him to Justin Bieber circa 2009, and implying The Rock was scared of the competition, she added: ‘ You just reminded me my spaghetti’s almost done!’ to which HRVY replied: ‘ Stop flirting, you love spaghetti’.
But there is one big stumbling block for the budding romance – the Covid-19 rules.
Under the BBC show’s strict guidelines, contestants have an exclusive support bubble with their professional dancer partner and must keep socially distanced and wear masks when around everyone outside that bubble.
HRVY says: “I’ve spoken to Maisie at the studios, but the thing is legally I’m not even allowed to go near her.
“So for now we are great friends, and she’s lovely. I am going to focus on the dancing, and all that stuff can come second, but who knows what will happen after the show!”
The singer has previously said he is open to romance, having seen how it has worked out for previous contestants.
But for now the most important female in HRVY’s life is his dance partner Janette Manrara.
He couldn’t have looked more overjoyed to be paired with the petite 36-year-old on last weekend’s launch show.
Twitter users were quick to point out that the pair
HRVY ON HIS PROFESSIONAL PARTNER JANETTE MANRARA
Contestants in previous years are very built and I am not really
HRVY ON WORKING TO BUILD UP HIS SLIM FIGURE
could be mistaken for mother and son, but HRVY says: “I don’t think Janette would like that - she’s more like my big sister. She’s been loo looking after me and will bring me a little pa packed lunch to make sure I eat or tell me ‘it’s time for your vitamins now’. It is lovely as I don’t really look after myself so it’s nice to h have someone to help me.
“I d don’t want to be cliched, but it really is the best p pairing. She is this fiery ball of fun, and so hard-w hard-working and patient and positive.” The pair have been working eight hours a day, six day days a week to prepare for tonight, when they will tak take to the dancefloor to perform a jive to Faith by b Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande. HRV HRVY, who at 5ft 8in has a good height advantage tage on 5ft Janette, admits he was concerned before the show that his lithe figure would leave him lac lacking the muscle needed for the lifts. “I wa was genuinely worried, and not even in a funny way,” he says. “All the professionals and celebri celebrity contestants in previous years are very built and I’m not really. I mean I stand near [ex-gridiron star] Jason Bell and I’m looking at him and thinking, ‘you are a tower, you are huge, and I am very small.’
“The only previous contestant I can relate to a little bit is Joe Sugg – but he actually had a lot of muscle and I don’t. But we’re working on it so hopefully we’ll be all right.”
HRVY rose to fame performing covers of famous songs on the internet. He then signed a record deal at just 14 years old. His online following is huge, with over 1.5 billion combined streams, and 4.5 million followers on Instagram.
The Kent star’s real name is Harvey Leigh Cantwell, but he removed the vowels at age 17.
HRVY says: “It seems to have been a controversial thing for a lot of people and they get mad! There are always jokes made about it and that’s fine, it’s quite funny really.”
He is also aware that he may not be known to older Strictly viewers. But his baby face, cheeky smile and self-deprecating ating charm are sure to win n them over quickly. “I’m hoping I can win some older er ladies over, definitely, I’m crossing my fingers that people ople like me and vote for me,” he e says. “You only get to do Strictly ctly once and I really want to do well, so I am throwing myself lf headfirst into it.”
Laughing, he says this includes all the glitz and glam, from make-up and a tan, to sparkles and tight outfits.
It’s no wonder er he is grabbing the experience with h both hands, because it was all nearly y a non-starter.
HRVY tested positive for coronavirus coronamber in September and he had to isolate at home e for 10 days, fearing
SLIMHR SLIM HRVY shows off his body
his dreams w would be dashed. He explains: “I genui genuinely thought I was going to have to bow out o of the show and just hope I could come back next year.
“But then the next test came back negative, and the BBC were grea great and moved everything around so I could do a all my filming in one day. It was a real rollerco rollercoaster and I was lucky it wasn’t in the middle of the series.”
It was a real shock for HRVY, who had no symptoms. “It just shows sh how easy it is to get it and not know. Everyone Eve needs to take this more seriously. Young Youn people might think it won’t affect us as mu much, but we might give it to our mum or nan and they suffer the most. “Just wear your you masks, stay socially distanced, and don’t d think, ‘maybe I can just see this person per and it will be OK’. “Everyone has ha to work together.” Strictly Com Come Dancing is on BBC1 at 7.25pm tonig tonight.