Strictly hands on ... it’s Ed Balls the hoofer
WHEN he took to the dancefloor at Labour Party conferences, he could always rely on his wife to act as a willing partner.
Unleashed on the Strictly Come Dancing red carpet last night, and Ed Balls was spoilt for choice.
Grabbing fellow contestant Laura Whitmore, he twirled her round repeatedly, causing her to scream with laughter. And the concentration on his face was palpable when he strutted around professional dancer Janette Manrara and engaged in some saucy dance moves with her.
Let’s just hope his wife, Labour MP Yvette Cooper, was otherwise occupied with some very important Westminster business.
During the opening of the new series of Strictly at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, the former Shadow Chancellor, 49, and MTV presenter Miss Whitmore, 31, managed to steal the show. Indeed they appear to be enjoying a fledgling friendship.
Last week they were pictured together following a break from filming a trailer for the programme, and Miss Whitmore later teased the former Labour MP on social media about his love of cheesy chips with garlic mayonnaise.
Speaking earlier this month, Mr Balls said a midlife crisis prompted him to sign up, follow- ing the end of his 20-year political career when he lost his seat in last year’s election.
Speaking on Chris Evans’s Radio 2 show, he said his wife would make a better Strictly contestant but she had told him: ‘How can you say no to such a fabulous opportunity?’
He added: ‘If you can have a midlife crisis you should make sure you plan it well and enjoy every minute ... I could do with losing half a stone so [Strictly] would be quite good for me anyway.’