Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
You can’t LOCK Strictly DOW N!
No Blackpool, partners in bubbles... but the show must go on. Here Max George, Caroline Quentin, Jamie Laing and Jacqui Smith reveal what they’ll be bringing to the party
Let’s hope Jamie Laing doesn’t win this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. ‘If I do I’ll open a dancing school, have my own show and someone will play me in a movie,’ he says. ‘And I’ll spend all my riches on a statue of myself, fake-tanned and naked, holding a glitterball over my private parts.’
While the irrepressible Jamie, best known for starring as himself in the posh reality show Made In Chelsea, unleashes his camp side, actress Caroline Quentin – who recently turned 60 – confides that in 1976 she wore a sparkly bikini to dance in an end-of-the pier show in Lowestoft.
She also promises to throw herself headlong into Strictly, embracing the sparkle and glamour. ‘I’ll give anything a go: wear nipple tassels and dye my hair blonde if necessary. The fake tan has come as a bit of a surprise, I’m going to go a very dark shade of chestnut.’ She chuckles richly. ‘I used to do ballet as a little girl. I’m looking forward to reliving those joys and reconnecting with something I love.’
She extends one leg above her head and holds the pose elegantly. There are surprised gasps of admiration from the other three celebrities we’ve coralled together today – former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, singer Max George and Jamie – who are all priming themselves for the nation’s favourite TV dancing contest. ‘If you’ve got any money, lay a bet baby, before the odds go down,’ laughs Caroline, before adding, ‘Now watch me go out in the first round.’
Max, formerly of boy band The Wanted, is all brooding eyes and rippling torso. He confides he’s been weight-training, ‘in case I have to do some Dirty Dancing-style lifts’.
‘Oh, he would say that. How hideous young people are!’ harrumphs Caroline, who claims to have confined her training to backbends and stretches. Max jokes he’s looking for a stunt double – ‘a short, bald fella’ (he’s 5ft 7in with a buzz-cut) – to perform the trickier dance moves. ‘My dad rang me the other day and said, “Have I missed something over the last 32 years, son? It seems you’re second favourite to win.”’
Meanwhile, former Labour MP Jacqui reveals that Ed Balls, her onetime Cabinet colleague and an unexpected sensation on the show in 2016, has been giving her some tips. ‘He said, “Work hard, enjoy it and show you’re enjoying it.” But I don’t think anyone could do a Gangnam Style to compete with Ed’s,’ she says ,recalling his memorably comic salsa with professional partner Katya Jones.
Despite the rigorous protocols in place to minimise the chance of Covid infection on the show this year (meaning fewer celebs, a shorter series and no trip to Blackpool), 21-year-old Youtube star Hrvy tested positive just over a week ago. Everyone involved with the show is tested regularly, and as we went to press Hrvy was still planning to take part pending a negative result after isolating for ten days.
Today our make-up team is masked
‘I’m terrified and excited in equal measure’ CAROLINE QUENTIN
and visored, and our four celebrities arrive and depart at distanced intervals, but there’s still a prevailing mood of hilarity. Jacqui gets teary though when she sees our fabulous photos of her, gloriously transformed in a powder-blue gown. Jamie, of course, adores the glamour. ‘Bring on the fake tan! I’d lie in a bath of it if I could. And the sequins! I love it all!’
Strictly Come Dancing 2020, which starts next Saturday, is set to be steamier than ever as each celebrity/professional partnership will be in its own bubble, allowing unlimited close physical contact between dance pairings. The contestants, who also include Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh and Olympic boxing champ Nicola Adams (who will form one half of Strictly’s first same-sex partnership), will stay in London for the entire competition to avoid the risks of travel, so those who usually live outside the capital will be away from loved ones and families for the duration.
Jamie, 31, will be hunkering down with 26-year-old girlfriend Sophie ‘Habbs’ Habboo (another MIC veteran) at his flat in Notting Hill, west London. ‘That’s allowed, and sex is permitted between Habbs and me. But we have to maintain strict social distance with everyone else. No one is allowed to cheat – except me! I could cheat with my professional dance partner, but I don’t think that would be wise. The great thing about Sophie is she’s way better than me and I don’t want to lose her. It would be a monumental mistake.
‘I think I’m going to win and Bill Bailey will come a close second,’ he jokes. ‘I went to boarding school at eight so I’m good at being told what to do. If someone tells me I have to practise my dancing for 12 hours a day I’ll do it. I’ve already been practising my hip-swivel every night. I think I’ll bore Sophie. By the end she’ll be saying, “Shut up, Jamie. No one cares.”’
Jamie, a member of the Mcvitie’s biscuit dynasty (his great-great-grandfather created the digestive in 1892), studied theatre and performance at the University of Leeds, although it must be said it seems to come naturally. ‘I did one contemporary dance at university. I had to be a bulb bursting into flower,’ he says. ‘I think I’ve got an element of rhythm – especially after a couple of mojitos – and I don’t think I’ll get nervous. I like being the centre of attention.’
Award-winning actress Caroline, however, admits, ‘I’m terrified and excited in equal measure.’ Caroline played Maddie Magellan in Jonathan Creek, but is arguably still best known as Dorothy in 90s sitcom Men Behaving Badly. Max says he watched re-runs of the series when he was younger and was ‘a bit starstruck’ when he met her.
But despite a career stretching back four decades, Caroline confesses, ‘What I’m most worried about is going blank during a routine. And I’m a bit concerned about my knees. I’ll have to put my feet up for half an hour several times a day. That will be my secret weapon, but don’t tell the young people! I’m really going to put in the hours because I want to do well. It would be ignominious for me to be thrown out after two weeks. I’d be very sad.’
She’ll be decamping to London from the home in Devon she shares with husband Sam, 48, CEO of his own company that makes cosmetics for adolescents, and their children Rose, 21, and William, 17. Absences from the family have been routine for Caroline because her career often takes her away from home. ‘So it won’t be a novelty that I’m staying in London for Strictly,’ she says.
Sam, who she met when he was a runner on the set of Men Behaving Badly, encouraged her to take up the challenge. ‘It’s a strange world so you grab moments of joy,’ she says. ‘Sam said, “If you fancy doing it, now’s the time.” We’ve been together 22 years and we’ve spent long periods apart. I’ll miss him, no question, but that’s how our life is.’
She’s just been filming a Christmas comedy in York with John Cleese, Elizabeth Hurley and Kelsey Grammer, and had a weekend with Sam before leaving for Strictly. Will the children miss her? ‘I jolly well hope they’ll be pining for Mummy!’ Will they be watching her dance? ‘Not if there’s rugby on,’ she jokes.
Meanwhile Max’s partner of 18 months, Stacey – the 41-year-old exwife of former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs – will be at home in Manchester with her two children, while Max, 32, is staying with his older brother Jack in London and forming a bubble with his glamorous dance partner.
A former girlfriend called Max a ‘serial flirt’, so I wonder if Stacey is worried he’ll fall victim to the Strictly Curse. ‘We haven’t even talked about it,’ says Max. ‘It doesn’t concern us. When you’re in love with someone, curses are irrelevant. Stacey didn’t say, “Be good”, she just said, “Have a great time.”’ He reveals that ‘at some point I’ll be proposing – but not while we’re social distancing’ (as they will be for the duration of Strictly). ‘That’s not what I’ve planned at all!’
The discreet ‘Stacey’ tattoo on his wrist sits above a more elaborate inking of his late granny’s name, Mary. His other gran, Teresa, will be watching his progress. ‘She loves the show,’ he says. ‘She used to sing in the West End clubs after the war so I think I got my singing gene from her.
‘But I’m not a dancer. When I auditioned for The Wanted [the group
‘Bring on the fake tan! I’d lie in a bath of it if I could’ JAMIE LAING
had two UK number one singles, in 2010 and 2011], they told me, “If you don’t improve your dancing you’re not in the band.”’
But surely his time in US comedy drama Glee (he played Clint, the villainous lead singer of rival choir Vocal Adrenaline, for six episodes in 2015) must have honed his skills? ‘You get about 40 takes to get the dances right on that show,’ he says. ‘Strictly is live!’
There’s added pressure, too, because his former bandmate Jay Mcguiness won Strictly in 2015. ‘He could have had the decency to come sixth or seventh,’ laughs Max. ‘I’m going to try to resist comparisons. He’s given me some tips. He said, “Work your a*** off and don’t worry about forgetting your steps.”’
Meanwhile, Jacqui, 57, wants to prove to women of her age that adventures are there to be seized. ‘Don’t think life’s over after 50,’ says the former politician, adding that her years in Parliament taught her ‘to look confident even when you’re nervous inside’.
Former PM Gordon Brown, in whose cabinet she served, has observed, in his customary phlegmatic way, that she’s a trier. ‘He said he thought I’d work very hard, bless him,’ she says. ‘What I lack in physical strength I’ll make up for in sophistication, maturity and willingness to learn.’
So how’s her hip swivel? ‘You’ll have to wait and see. I’ve been running, doing yoga and skipping, so I’m much fitter than I was ten years ago. I’ll dance at the drop of a hat in my kitchen, but the last time I had lessons was when I was seven and did Scottish Highland dancing. If there’s a Highland Fling I’ll be completely on it!’
Jacqui, who stepped down from the cabinet in 2009 after the expenses scandal and lost her seat in the 2010 election, parted amicably from her husband of 33 years, Richard Timney, in January. Now she reveals there’s a new man in her life. They won’t be forming a bubble, as she’s leaving her home in Worcestershire to stay in London for the show. ‘But we’ll be Facetiming,’ she says. ‘We met in February and were apart during lockdown, but it was a nice start to a relationship to focus on getting to know each other. I’ll be working so hard I’ll be worn out, so it’s just as well I’ll be on my own.’
Jacqui’s sons, teacher James, 27, and student Michael, 22, are hugely supportive. ‘But is there any son who doesn’t think his mum is a bit embarrassing?’ she says. ‘The good thing about my family is, whether I’m on Strictly or in the House of Commons, I’ve never been allowed to get above myself. They’ll keep my feet on the ground.’
Jacqui, who presents podcast For The Many with political broadcaster Iain Dale, says Iain is ‘very jealous’. ‘He said, “I hope you don’t fall over, but if you do injure yourself I could take your place.”’
I joke that Jacqui should go door-knocking to ensure she’s kept in the show. ‘I’m very competitive,’ she concedes. ‘But I won’t have a team of people putting up “Vote Jacqui” posters. Family, neighbours and colleagues seem thrilled I’m on Strictly. It’s been a tough year for everyone and they’ve said, “This will cheer us up.” I feel a sense of responsibility to keep cheering people up.’
Caroline also says dancing has the capacity to ‘lift our spirits’, while Max is all for ‘fun, laughter and a challenge’. A rumour went round that he and Meghan Markle were messaging each other before she started dating Prince Harry. He denies it, of course, and when I ask if Meghan will be watching he laughs. ‘I’ve nothing to say about that. But I’m sure the Queen will be! She hasn’t invited me to perform at Buckingham Palace yet. But I’m waiting hopefully.’
And Jamie? He’s dreaming about that vat of fake tan…
‘I won’t be putting up “Vote Jacqui” posters’ JACQUI SMITH
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday 17 October on BBC1.