STEP BY STEP
WE CHECK IN WITH FAYE TOZER FOR A STRICTLY MID-SERIES UPDATE…
STRICTLY COME DANCING | BBC1 SATURDAY & SUNDAY
It’s week nine on Strictly
Come Dancing, and that can only mean one thing: we’re all going to Blackpool! (Okay, fine: they are all going to Blackpool. We will be in our living rooms as usual, eating biscuits.) It’s always one of the high points of the series, with enormous group dances and a chance for the celebrities to compete in a world-renowned ballroom.
So we decided that this would be a fine time to catch up with Steps star Faye Tozer and find out what the experience of being on the show has been like for her so far – and what it would mean to her to get the chance to dance in the hallowed Blackpool Tower Ballroom…
Hi, Faye! Has your Strictly experience measured up to your expectations so far?
I’ve wanted to do this show for years, and I feel so lucky that I’m here. It’s kind of everything I expected and more – the camaraderie within the celebs and everybody backstage – it’s a really lovely job to do.
It’s a wonderful experience.
And what has been your favourite dance so far?
That’s really tricky! I guess I’d say when we did our Couple’s Choice, and we did theatrejazz – which was a first for
Strictly – and we got 39 points. We felt it could’ve been a risk because people at home may not have understood what we were doing, or might not have liked it, but I think it was a bonus that it was Halloween week, and it was a quirky routine, so it went well with everything that was going on.
How has ballroom and Latin compared to the sort of dancing you do with Steps?
It’s so unnatural! What I’ve found is I’ve had strains and pains from maintaining frame and then holding that position all the way through, with your head going one way and your body going another. It’s like a foreign language! It hasn’t been perfect every week, it really hasn’t, but I just want to give it my absolute best.
What’s an average week in training like for you?
On Monday you go in and hear your music and film some bits, and you learn the basics of your routine, so that’s usually quite a happy day! Then ‘Tricky Tuesday’ is when you start learning the style properly and about how it’s supposed to look. Wednesday is trying to polish things up a bit and start making it into a performance, and on Thursday you need your show face on and to know what you’re doing, because on Friday you’re in the studio!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given since you started Strictly?
To take it all in, as the weeks just fly, and you don’t know when your last week will be. You’ve got to really enjoy it and have no regrets, because
every weekend someone goes, so you’ve got to soak it all in.
What would it mean to you to dance in Blackpool?
Oh, my goodness, everybody wants to go to Blackpool! It would be such an amazing opportunity to dance there, with all its history and prestige. And the sets are bigger and more exciting, so there’s a real buzz about it. It’s definitely something I’d like to head towards. Fingers crossed!