CLARE BALDING

She’s the dancing queen of sports presenting

Now we’ve seen Clare Balding dance — not just a casual foot tap or subtle shoulder shimmy, but a full-on PE teacher at a disco, mum on the razz, last one standing at a wedding reception-style boogie — and Crush is quite beside itself. Balding’s smooth grooves during the Kylie bonanza at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony last Sunday were broadcast live to millions of people across the Queendom, and for that Ballsy Balding gets our unconditional r-e-s-p-e-c-t. She’s already reached National Treasure status, so no need for Crush to explain her commentating brilliance and knack for collaring proud-as-punch dads like Bert le Clos and making them bigger hits on the net than their gold medal-winning sons. Suffice to say we have never seen anyone ‘avin it’ quite so ‘large’ in a navy blazer with white

Suffice to say we have never seen anyone ‘avin it’ quite so ‘large’ in a navy blazer with white piping before

piping before. Not only did Clare mouth all the words to ‘Spinning Around’, she also threw some serious shapes, including a contemporary take on the hand-jive that we can only attribute to a youth spent at out-ofLondon gay bars. With characteristic modesty Clare made no ‘biggie’ of her moment, calling it merely ‘a little bop’. Thank you, Clare, for throwing your hands in the air like you just don’t care… Surely it’s only a matter of time before Strictly comes a-knocking. This time, please say yes.