KATYA’S TEARS OF RELIEF
BBC host Mike tells how pro partner was overcome as routine finally went right
STRICTLY Come Dancing hopeful Mike Bushell has become a shoulder to cry on for his professional partner Katya Jones, he said yesterday.
After last week’s dance, he had to hold her when she broke down in front of TV viewers.
But the bouncy BBC Breakfast sports presenter insisted Katya is not sobbing over last year’s kiss with dance partner Seann Walsh or this year’s split with her husband, fellow pro Neil.
He said: “Last week was the toughest emotionally. I had a bad cold and wasn’t at the races.
“The dress rehearsal was so bad no one would look me in the eye. Katya said, ‘Don’t think about it, don’t watch it.’
“I kept missing the 10th step, a little kick out, and that meant the next 30 seconds of the routine went to pot.
“On the live show, I came up to the 10th step like a horse approaching a fence, in slow motion. Then the foot landed and from that moment on, I knew the rest of the dance would follow.
“So at the end, Katya realised that for the first time ever we’d pulled the dance off.
“It was like being 3-0 down at home to a non-league football team then coming back in the last minute to score a deflection winner.
“I felt like Jurgen Klopp in a Champions League final.
“For us, it was the ultimate comeback. The relief and release of emotions was intense.”
Viewers will feel relieved to hear they are not watching Katya – who faced accusations she was drunk after falling in two shows – unravel because of personal reasons.
But does Mike feel Katya’s traumatic year has left her feeling scrutinised and fragile this series?
He said: “I’ve not noticed anything. It’s not been an issue. Neil is so supportive so I haven’t felt that at all.
“Katya’s got so much energy, she’s so dedicated she personally put some sequins on our Cha-Cha outfits last week. She’s absolutely on fire.”
Before donning Strictly spangles he was best known for his have-a-go attitude to trying 500 different sports, and falling into a swimming pool during a live interview at last year’s Commonwealth Games – a clip shared 11.5million times in one day.
He is so clumsy that he is amazed that head judge Shirley Ballas hailed last week’s quickstep “sophisticated”.
Mike, 53, married Emily, 39, in May and has three daughters from his previous marriage – Lucy, 22, Izzy, 20, and Sophie, 16, as well as a 10-year-old stepson, Josh.
He swears the transformation from dud dancer to 32-point slick mover is all down to Katya and something he found in his wife’s bottom drawer.
He said: “I changed into my lucky socks after the disastrous dress rehearsal. They’re black, really thin and extra long – I think they might be Emily’s but they’re definitely not stockings.
“And because I am superstitious, just before we went on the live show, I twisted my wedding ring around three times and thought of Emily and the kids. And it worked.” Mike’s pre-show rituals show he is laughing in the face of the notorious Strictly curse. “Katya’s fantastic,” he said. “My family are real fans of the show and we always thought that Katya was one of the best choreographers in terms of ideas – so we were delighted when we were paired.”
The story of Mike’s romance with Emily shows his on-screen persona is genuine. Last October, after a seven-month romance, he proposed while dressed as Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings.
The gag was lost on her, as she had not seen the film but she still said yes.
Emily now has Katya to thank for her husband’s slimmer body.
At the start of the series, the Russian dancer pointed out, with a pat on his tum, that she would work on Mike’s belly. Did the jibe hurt?
Mike said: “I’m an average bloke on the sofa. I go running and play football sometimes but it’s not enough to work off the odd pint of ale, glass of wine and takeaway. “The intensity of the dance training – we start at 8am and go through to 9pm – works every muscle in your body and you become leaner. “I’ve lost over a stone. I can wear shirts I couldn’t get on two months ago and the wonderful wardrobe department at Strictly keep having to take my clothes in.” After last week’s exit of Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin, Mike knows no one is safe from getting the boot. He said: “As the oldest contestant in the show, it’s obvious I’m not the best dancer. “All I can do is work extra hard in rehearsals, do exactly what Katya says and wear my lucky socks.” Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC1 tonight at 6.40pm.