From dancing shoes to 4.30am wake-up calls, Strictly contestant and breakfast radio DJ VICK HOPE on the things that make her tick

My uncles used to take me and my brothers to watch Newcastle United; the atmosphere there is the best in the premiership. I played football for my college women’s team at Cambridge and broke my leg. I handed in my dissertation on crutches.

I was close to my paternal grandmother Pauline. She had a treasure trove of jewels – these gold and diamond earrings were her most special piece. I felt so honoured when she gave them to me just before my 21st birthday. It was one of the last times I saw her before she died.

I live in Latin and ballroom shoes as I’m training nine hours a day for Strictly. Usually I wear trainers as I’m tall and like to be comfortable, plus I’m clumsy, so wearing heels is disastrous – I’ve stepped on my dance partner Graz’s [Graziano Di Prima] feet so often…

My dad Nigel told me his nautical trunk had come from the bottom of the sea, which I believed. He gave it to me when I went to uni. It’s been my coffee table since I first moved to London to work as a runner for MTV.

I’ve had Snowy since I was born and she has moved everywhere with me. My mum used to insist on putting her in the washing machine and I would stand with my face against the glass saying, ‘Stop it, she doesn’t like it.’

This was my first holy communion. I’m aged ten, with my parents and brothers [from left] Louis, Theo and Gabriel. On Sundays my mum and I would go to church – we were both in the choir even though we couldn’t sing. My dad would have a fry-up with my brothers and take them to rugby training.

My mum Adeline is really good at haggling. She’s a saleswoman by profession and I learned from her. This leather bag was my first haggle at a souk in Marrakech when I was 12. I was proud of myself because I got it for about £5. It used to be my school bag.

I set my alarm clock for 4.30am on weekdays as I present Capital radio’s breakfast show. No human being ever gets used to that early wake-up! I’m on air at 6am. After the show I go to Strictly rehearsals and don’t get home until 8.30pm, exhausted.