ROBBIE SAVAGE
IT seems only yesterday he was wowing fans with his cheeky charm, flowing blond hair and stunning tie and waistcoat combos.
But now, six years on, Robbie Savage is back for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and he’s lost none of his sparkle.
While never the most technically perfect, the football pundit and ex-English Premier League midfielder amazed everyone by making the quarter-finals in the 2011 contest.
So has his dancing improved since then? “Well, I knew I couldn’t get any worse!” he jokes.
“It’s obviously very nerve-racking. I haven’t danced for six years.
“The good thing for me is I had the confidence. I am not the best dancer but the public kept me in for 10 weeks.
“By then I was looking at the standard and thinking: ‘Wow! I can’t believe I am here!’ So it’s amazing to be back.”
Robbie, 43, is dancing with Diane Buswell who partnered Richard Coles on this year’s show. The dad of two says: “The theme of the special is what we most love about Christmas. When I was playing football, I’d be on the road at that time. So the day I look forward to most is coming home to my family.”
Robbie opens the Christmas show, which also features Katie Derham, Judy Murray, Kimberley Walsh, Colin Jackson and Jeremy Vine, with a performance set in a 1940s home where Diane longingly waits for her husband’s return.
The former Welsh international, notorious for his robust tackles, adds: “Strictly is way more nerve-racking than football. I could play with my eyes closed – and, to be fair, some people said I did!”
As part of their routine, Robbie lifts Aussie Diane, 28, an impressive six times. But he jokes the audience should not expect any knee slides this year after he broke his nose doing the risky move into the camera in 2011.
Despite a few more grey hairs, he is in good shape. He goes to the gym daily and says it not only keeps him trim but also keeps his mind sharp.
Recently, to encourage others to seek help, the ex-Leicester, Derby and Blackburn star opened up about his insecurity and anxiety.
He sees a doctor once or twice a month, adding: “I go home, I worry. I am insecure, very insecure.”
Robbie, married to wife Sarah for 15 years, says: “If I had a broken leg or any other physical injury, people would say ‘Are you OK?’. But with mental health you can’t see it and that’s why I speak up as much as I can to help others.”
He recalls that after his ex-cricketer pal Freddie Flintoff talked of his mental health battle on their Radio 5 Live podcast, they were inundated with calls.
“So many people said ‘Thank you, Robbie, thank you, Freddie, because of you two opening up about your issues, I have been able to get help or help for someone in my family’.” Mental health is painfully close to home for Robbie. Dad Colin had a form of Alzheimer’s at 58 and died in 2012 aged 64.
He says: “It’s the family around those with Alzheimer’s who suffer so much. Dad was the person my mum wed and who I idolised. I’d look at him and think, ‘He’s the same person’. But for years he wasn’t.”
Robbie has spoken in the
ROBBIE SAVAGE