‘I’ll definitely be better behaved this week’
The Youtube star on jiving into the judges’ hearts, playing pranks and why it’s now time to knuckle down
I’ve managed to remain injuryfree in sport before, but after one week of dancing I’m falling to pieces. I’m aching in places I never thought I would and I’ve got a blister on my ankle from last week’s jive. But it was an absolute honour and a real surprise to be up the top of the leaderboard with Ashley [Roberts] and Faye [Tozer]. I knew I could do well, but I wasn’t expecting to get 27 points for my first ever dance.
I performed second to last and was trying not to be swayed by the judges’ comments to the others. It does make you aware that they pull you up for the tiniest of things. I think what Shirley [Ballas] meant when she told Seann Walsh to tie his hair back and “tidy himself up” was that she wanted to see his neck as he was doing ballroom. It should be comments about dancing from the judges but I’m staying out of it!
Having a crowd in the studio for the live show really helped me. I found it more nerve-racking dancing in front of the camera guys and the producers. You only have three run-throughs on the Friday rehearsal and that’s where they mark out where the cameras go, so you have to remember. I need to work on looking at the camera as you forget it’s being televised.
It’s quite funny on Claudia’s balcony. I find moments where you’re in a big group and have to be quiet really awkward, so I added a bit of my character in there on Saturday and was bopping around in the background. I even played the circle game [a playground game popularised in the Eighties]. It was a nod to my friends watching at home and I thought it would be great to do it to 10million people. But that was a one-off – I’ll definitely be better behaved this week!
The fact that someone is going to leave the competition this weekend is weird. I know my fan base is large but a lot of them are international and can’t vote. I’d be devastated to be the first to go. I’ve just got to think positive.
We’re dancing a Charleston to Cotton Eye Joe. It reminds me of school discos and I can’t say it’s my favourite song. But it’s been edited so it’s more suited to the Twenties’ style. There’s multiple lifts, some one after the other so it’s a proper workout. I might not look strong but I’m using the same muscles as I did in my old job as a roof thatcher. I was always lifting things over my head, so for a small guy I have a lot of power. The VTS they show of us rehearsing are fun to do – this week we went back to my home town. But I was just thinking “We could be practising right now!” We performed a few moves up on some scaffolding, which might give you a clue as to the theme of Saturday’s routine…
Joe Sugg was talking to Rachel Ward; Strictly Come Dancing is on Saturday on BBC One at 6.30pm