Adams signs up for Strictly... just pray he gets his salsa lift right this time!
AS a rugged defender, he wasn’t exactly known for his fancy footwork on the pitch.
And when Tony Adams joins Strictly Come Dancing, he may want to steer well clear of lifting his professional partner.
For the former England footballer famously dropped an Arsenal teammate as they celebrated victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the 1993 League Cup final.
Adams, who was captain, threw Steve Morrow, who had scored the winning goal at Wembley, over his shoulder only for him to fall headfirst to the turf and break his arm.
‘He’ll be having flashbacks’
While the rest of the team went up to collect the trophy, Morrow was given oxygen and taken to hospital.
Adams, 55, was unveiled yesterday as the 11th celebrity in this year’s Strictly line- up, which includes Helen Skelton, Matt Goss and Kym Marsh.
One fan joked on Twitter: ‘Hoping his dance partner isn’t Steve Morrow. He’ll be having flashbacks during the lifts.’
Adams, who was made an MBE in 1999, is looking forward to the glamour of the BBC ballroom.
‘To say I’m excited is an understatement – the lure of the sequins and the call of the salsa has me swapping my battered old football boots for a set of Strictly soft shoes,’ he said. ‘I can’t wait to meet my partner – God help her – and start the dancing.’
Adams won 66 caps for England between 1987 and 2000, and captained Arsenal to four league titles, despite a battle with alcoholism early in his career.
He served a brief jail sentence after crashing his car in 1990 while more than four times the drinkdrive limit. In 2000, as a result of his experiences, he set up the Sporting Chance Clinic to help sports stars suffering from drink, drug or gambling addictions.
He has three children with second wife Poppy and two from his first marriage.
Strictly returns to BBC1 next month and he will be one of three celebrities called Adams taking part – Loose Women star Kaye and comedienne Jayde have already been named as contestants.