Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’ll do the rumba for the readies
Bowler Graeme on why he joined Strictly
Hitting the dancefloor is Strictly business for
Graeme Swann. Talk TV can reveal that the cricketer’s company made losses of more than £160,000 last year – so the £25,000 signing-on fee could come in handy. A source close to him says: “Graeme loves Strictly, but he’s been open about the fact he’s doing it for the money.
“He’s even joked there’s no chance he’d run away with his dance partner as he can’t afford a divorce!”
The bowler has been open about his wild spending – which saw him blow thousands of pounds on booze and gambling at the height of his sporting career.
He says in his autobiography The Brakes Are Off: “The knowledge that I would not be playing contributed to the spending of the thousands of pounds that were burning a hole in my pocket in the bars of the five-star hotels in which we stayed.”
In 2011, when England won the Ashes, Graeme, 39, lost £500 on a casino table at 6am. He admits: “I might as well have just handed the wedge straight to the croupier because I put the whole lot on one hand.” He also describes how he was so drunk at his wedding he signed a £12,500 bar bill.
“I thought I was being asked for my autograph,” he says.
Dad-of-two Graeme, who has been married to Sarah for eight years, lost £160,000 from his business Leg Stump Productions last year. His assets dropped £248,949 in 2016 to £89,450.
Speaking ahead of the show, he says: “Keeping it under wraps from my kids has been nearly impossible – they are huge fans and I can’t wait to see their faces when I tell them. I don’t have any background in dancing but can do the floss, so let’s hope this comes in useful.”
Strictly returns to BBC One on Saturday