I’ve seen homeless kids sleeping under staircases

Strictly professional dancer Luba Mushtuk knows all about the plight of some youngsters from her childhood in Russia.

“This is such an important cause and I’m so happy it’s such a big thing in the UK,” said Luba, who is taking part in Friday’s big Children In Need Strictly Special.

“I was born in St Petersburg where there’s a huge problem with homeless children. I grew up in a big building and there were children sleeping under the staircase.

“I would try to give them food, sandwiches or whatever, and when I was 10 years old, I remember telling my aunt that I wanted to be able to help when I grew up.”

The special sees Boyzone take to the Strictly dance floor alongside pro partners.

Luba is teamed with Shane Lynch and she says that despite having limited training time, he had plenty of potential.

“We had about three days together to do a quickstep and then a bit more time altogether for the group number. I could see straight away that he is a natural dancer.

“We had so much fun and I used to do routines to Boyzone songs back in Russia, so it was a thrill.”

Luba joined the Strictly dance pros this series but while she has taken part in the group numbers, she wasn’t paired with a celebrity star.

“Shane is my first celebrity and I was so excited to get a chance to finally walk down the staircase in the studio.”