‘I’LL HAVE TO GET MY TEETH WHITENED TO WORK WITH RYLAN!’
PRESENTER ZOE BALL TALKS ABOUT HER FAVOURITE ‘STRICTLY’ MOMENTS AND WHO SHE’S MOST EXCITED TO WATCH THIS YEAR
She faced the biggest challenge of her career this year after taking over hosting duties of the Radio 2 breakfast show from Chris Evans. But with her slot starting at 6.30am, there were fears over whether she could keep up with Strictly Come Dancing‘s spin-off show It Takes Two.
‘There might have to be a nap during the day, but I love that show so much,’ Zoe says.
However, to ease her workload, Rylan Clark-neal will be hosting twice a week
– and Zoe admits with him and Ian Waite on board, she can’t wait to be surrounded by
‘tall handsome men’!
Here, 48-year-old
Zoe, who is dating construction boss
Michael Reed, talks about her favourite It
Takes Two moments and top tips for this year’s line-up... How does it feel to be back on It Takes Two? It comes around so quickly! It’s like going back to school, returning to our mad little family. It’s a joy. And we’ve also got a new kid in town with Rylan – he’s going to liven things up, he’ll be an absolute scream. It’s extra special this year. Who are you excited to watch from this year’s line-up? There are so many of this year’s celebrities that I was hysterically excited about. James Cracknell – he’s a real hero of all of ours. An Olympian! I’m excited he’s doing it. We’ve also got Honey from Eastenders and Eva from Corrie! That is gold. They’re both gorgeous and going to be great. Did you know Rylan before he was hired as your co-host? I met him in a lift at ITV once and completely fan girled after him. I guess it was after The X Factor, when he first started doing
Big Brother. I just love him! You just know he’s a great guy, but also a complete scream. And the great thing is Rylan’s so tall that I can wear a nice heel! Maybe I’ll have to get my teeth whitened so I can work with him!
Are you looking forward to presenting with him?
Well now I’m surrounded by tall handsome men! With Rylan to the left of me and Ian Waite to the right, it’s not a bad place to be! I’d like to make sure we give Rylan some dance lessons on the show. I can see Aljaž [Skorjanec], Ian Waite and Anton du Beke teaching him... he’d be good at a rumba or a cha cha. Rylan’s a great mover – we saw that on The X Factor!
Looking back, what have been your favourite Strictly and It Takes Two moments?
One of my favourite Strictly moments was dancing the Argentine tango with Vincent Simone when he came on It Takes Two. Obviously I tower above him, but he taught me some moves! I felt like I was high as a kite after that. There are the dances that stay with you. Giovanni and Faye last year, when they did The Lonely Goatherd! Oh my God, that was so good. Graeme Swann doing Spiderman! Who knew that would be a thing?! That’s the kind of TV that makes you leap off your sofa, squealing with delight. Ashley and Pasha’s salsa to Dirty Dancing, too. All of those little moments stay with you, year after year.
Do you have any tips for this year’s contestants?
Here’s my advice for the class of 2019: listen to your pros, and get the basics right! They have to do that at the beginning. It’s a bit overwhelming, Strictly will take over your entire life – but it’s okay, you will be back to your family at Christmas time. Throw yourself into it and enjoy the ride, because you’ll never get to do it again. Years later you will wish you could do it all over again. So just enjoy every single moment – and do what your pro says!
TUNE IN TO ‘STRICTLY COME DANCING: IT TAKES TWO’ EVERY WEEKDAY AT 6.30PM ON BBC TWO.