Life lessons with Tom Chambers
Touring in a new show, former Strictly champ and Casualty actor Tom Chambers (40) reveals how dance – and being a dad – changed his life
Aim to please
I grew up watching matinee idols like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire who, for me, were pure joy and heart. I tend to gravitate towards happy, positive song and dance men as opposed to heavy, gritty drama. I know actors who are great at being villains but I didn’t really like playing a Machiavellian villain in Waterloo Road and to some extent in Casualty. I genuinely just prefer to help people and try making them smile.
Never give up
From stamping on the kitchen floor before I knew what tap dancing was, I started doing tap classes aged 13, but didn’t get my break until I was 27. After I left drama school I tried all sorts of jobs but had no luck. My agent had just fired me for not doing the Bob the Builder arena tour, so I decided to make one last ditch attempt before I quit and filmed myself doing a Fred Astaire tap routine. I sent the DVD to 1,000 producers and got two replies, one of which was from Holby City who invited me for an audition which then turned into a long-term contract.
Theatre is good for the soul
Doing Crazy for You at the moment, I really appreciate what it’s like to have a live experience. In TV if something goes wrong you just cut. But with theatre it’s a really social environment with an atmosphere you can never recreate anywhere else. I think theatre is soul food. It’s like the live Strictly final at every performance.
Let it go
Becoming a father teaches you an amazing degree of patience. When you feel you could snap or your fuse gets a bit short, I think you have to remind yourself to care less; it doesn’t matter. Even when I’m on the road, I try to get home to my family every weekend and we go for tandem bikerides or nice walks followed by a pub lunch. I also like doing cold open-water swimming which helps the inflammation I get from performing every night.
Go on with the show
Doing Strictly taught me that when you’re up against it and you feel under-prepared you just have to go and put on the best show you can. Even when there are a million things going on in your head, you keep smiling. It’s about feeling the fear, but doing it anyway.
Changes are hard – but worth it
I’ve recently given up alcohol for the first time since I was legally able to drink it because I wanted to improve my energy levels. Performing on stage is so physical so I don’t want a hangover interfering with anything. I’ve now gone three months without a drink and I definitely feel a difference. Everyone says I look younger for it, too, which is a bonus! Tom is starring in the tour of Crazy For You, which runs until next May. To book, contact your local theatre or visit www.crazyforyoutour.com He was talking to Katharine Wootton