£20,000-a-week to play panto, Kelvin? Oh yes it is
STRICTLY winner Kelvin Fletcher will earn up to £20,000-a-week playing Prince Charming in a panto.
The actor, 36, has struck the extraordinary deal with a theatre to star in Sleeping Beauty.
A source said: “Panto is big business and it is not uncommon for some celebrities to land five-figure sums.
“Kelvin is thought to have agreed a total package worth up to £80,000 for a month.
“By contrast, some of the other members of the cast will earn less than £1,000 a week. After winning Strictly, theatre bosses were keen to get Kelvin on board – and don’t rule out a bit of a dance in the show.”
The deal with Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre is Kelvin’s first major payday since he won the BBC show with professional dancer Oti Mabuse in December.
The pair remained in the headlines long after the show ended thanks to a series of photographs of them enjoying nights out together while Kelvin was on the Strictly tour and Oti was working on the Greatest Dancer.
Kelvin’s wife, Liz Marsland, was reportedly “fuming” after pictures emerged showing Kelvin ushering Oti into a hotel room in the early hours.
But the pair, both married, insisted they were just friends unwinding after a hard night at work on stage and screen.
Sources close to Kelvin say he has several other high-profile projects that will be announced soon. The insider added: “He has had a number of meetings with heads of channels in the last few days.
“There are some exciting projects to come soon.”
The panto will give Fletcher the chance to return to Yorkshire, where he worked for 20 years as Andy Sugden in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 1996 until 2016.
Sam Nixon – presenter of the soon-to-be-revived children’s show Crackerjack – has also been signed up for the show, which will run from December 4 to January 3.