Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
ITV entertainment reporter Ross King hoped that his stint on Strictly Come Dancing would encourage “men of a certain age” to take up dancing, following his expulsion from the BBC show.
The 63-year-old became the second contestant to leave the competition on Sunday, when he and his professional partner Jovita Przemysl lost the dance-off against EastEnders actresses Balwinder Sopal and Julien Callon.
Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine, King said: “We said at the beginning, if I can be the best I can be, and Anton (Du Beke) gave me the opportunity to improve on the best I can be over two weeks in a row, the judges said some really nice things.
“And also the fact that, I hope now I’ve inspired people, especially men of a certain age, who say, ‘You know what? I’m just going to sit around, do nothing’, (to) just go out and dance and have fun, because that’s the whole point, I mean, I had fun every week.”
The King’s Movie Week performance saw him dance the Paso Doble to the Thunderbirds theme, and received the lowest score of 19 from the judges on Saturday, despite Du Beke saying it was “the best” of the week.
He added: “It was incredible, we’ve talked about it before, people don’t realize it, it’s not hard work, I mean, it’s hard work, but it’s not as hard as people do in real jobs.
“But it’s eight hours a day, you’re training like an athlete, and just trying to move forward, or for me, of course, I’m just trying to move forward in dance.”
King further stated that he would continue to watch the show “by the pool” after his eviction, and thanked the Strictly crew and cast for their help on the programme.
She said she had “the most amazing time” dancing with Przemysl and described the quality of the other contestants as “so strong”.
Watch Apple TV+ for free for 7 days
New customers only. £9.99/month. After the free trial. Plan to automatically renew until canceled.
Advertisement. If you sign up for this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism at The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ for free for 7 days
New customers only. £9.99/month. After the free trial. Plan to automatically renew until canceled.
Advertisement. If you sign up for this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism at The Independent.
The remaining 13 couples will return to the Strictly dancefloor next week on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.