28 September 2022
Newsdesk
Hits Radio Breakfast Show host Fleur East spilled some behind the scenes Strictly secrets live on air this morning. The presenter revealed that she’s finding this week’s Viennese Waltz overwhelming and how she’s helping her dance partner, Vito, settle into his new London home with a very ‘bougie’ birthday present...
Speaking to co-hosts James and Matt, Fleur revealed: ‘Every day is merging into one day – I’ve got no concept of time or place and I just feel like I’m dancing all the time. My brain gets tired because you’re having to process all these steps and techniques and as for my body, let me tell you my neck is aching so much from being stuck out to the side and it just feels really unnatural. Every move about this dance is unnatural!
‘When you watch it at home you think everyone’s got a week to learn the dance but you’ve actually only got a couple of days. You come in on Monday, learn it all, then Tuesday you have to clean it up and send a tape to the production team so they can see your routine and they know what’s happening for filming. So by Tuesday you have to have it done. On Wednesday and Thursday you’re doing rehearsals but press as well so you don’t really have time to learn it at that point you’re just polishing it so you really only have two full days in the week.
You get to a point, especially on a Monday, when you’re learning a new routine and your mind just goes blank. You feel really overwhelmed and think I just can’t do this because it’s a whole new style and there are new steps and you’ve got to dance this in five days live on the television! But once you start to get it you think OK, this is going to be fun, it’s going to be fine.
Fleur also discussed what she splashed out on for her dance partner Vito’s 30th birthday earlier this week: ‘Vito’s just moved to London and he’s still trying to figure things out in his new apartment. As an example of the kind of level we’re at he’s only just worked out he’s got an oven because he didn’t know where it was.
‘So he’s been washing his clothes every day and coming to rehearsal and saying ‘they smell really bad’ so for his 30th birthday yesterday I bought him some really bougie washing detergent. I know it’s very practical but all he’s doing all day is dancing and sweating so what better gift than washing detergent and fabric conditioner?! I know it’s a bit boring, but I don’t really know him that well yet and yes it is a kind of mother thing to do!’
