Strictly Heavenly
On Saturday, I really Iucked out. I was at the Strictly Studios in Elstree as the guest of my good friend Kim Appleby. And of course because she is who she is...we had front row seats. So thank-you Kim!
In fact the front row was turbo charged with special people. To one side of me was Will Bayleytt’s Mum. If you watch Strictly you will know her son is the Gold Medal Paralympic Athlete who dances with Janette. They gave an amazingly moving performance on Saturday night, which saw the pair go straight to the top of the leader board and I can tell you first hand, his parents were over the moon!
Next to them was Cheryl (Cole), looking ultra trim and glamorous. Could we be looking at a potential celeb dancer for next year perhaps??
On the other side of me was Kim of course and then two of Alex Scott’s friends (Football pundit, dancing with Neil Jones) Her friends were from the Arsenal Woman’s Football Team. Fortuitously, they had brought several packets of sweets with them that they were happy to share with us, which as it turned out was a good thing.
By now you will have guessed that I am a big fan of the show. Seeing the pro dancers close up and personal was a treat and they are every bit as fabulous in the flesh as on TV. I was completely knocked out by the new dancer Johannes, dancing with Eve Price. (Coronation Street) In the Pro routine at the top of the show on Sunday past he was dancing in five inch heels...yikes!
My respect for the show is total. But now, I have a new respect for ‘the audience’ too. Being in the audience I can tell you, is a full on experience. You don’t just get to sit there and take in the show. No Sir,…you have to work!
After surrendering our mobiles to security staff we went into the studio at 4:30 in the afternoon. By the way, you may not believe this but many people had actually slept over night outside the studios to get their coveted seats.
Anyway we were all seated at 5:30 pm and after five hours of animated happiness and lots of clapping, not to mention the numerous standing ovations, we all trooped out again at 10:30 pm, exhausted from all that smiling.
That said we did get a twenty -minute break in the middle to stretch our legs and have the tin of water and a biscuit supplied by the BBC. We had been warned that ‘hospitality’ was thin on the ground so we’d actually taken the precaution of stuffing a sandwich in our handbags; which you definitely can’t pull out in the front row of Strictly.
But hey, am I complaining, absolutely not. It was a small price to pay for the privilege of seeing the best live show on T.V. The Strictly Dancers and the Celebs absolutely rocked it and they totally deserve the acclaim they receive for all the hard work they put in. And supporting them to achieve the highest standards is an excellent back stage crew, that make Strictly Come Dancing, the hottest ticket in town.