Strictly Come Dancing winner Joe McFadden ‘refuses to open latest series as he couldn’t perform his chosen dance’
Strictly Come Dancing 2017 champ Joe McFadden is said to have refused to launch the 16th series of Strictly Come Dancing with his winning dance, according to The Mirror.
The Holby City actor – who became the oldest contestant to take home the crown at 42 – reportedly dropped out of returning to the show for a show-stopping performance as bosses wouldn’t let him perform his chosen dance.
Previous series have seen winners Caroline Flack, Ore Oduba and Jay McGuiness showcase their signature footwork at their premiere of the following seasons.
A source told the publication: ‘Joe didn’t want to do the dance selected but they wouldn’t let him do something else. It’s a shame.’
‘Every year, the winner is invited back to perform a standout routine – for Ore Oduba that was his jive, Jay McGuiness did his Pulp Fiction jive, and Caroline Flack came back to salsa again.’
A BBC spokeswoman confirmed to the newspaper: ‘Sadly Joe isn’t able to perform.’
MailOnline has contacted BBC and Joe’s representatives for further comment.
Shortly after his win in December last year, Joe revealed he was ‘so proud’ not only to be the oldest contestant to win, taking the accolade from 2009 winner Chris Hollins, but to be the first ever Scottish person to triumph.
In an interview with Lorraine, the actor said he hoped to keep dancing as a tribute to dance partner Katya Jones’ training and work ethic, saying: ‘I really hope that I am [going to]. Katya has put in so much work and she really has persevered with me.
‘I think it would be a real shame for it just to disappear. At the very least I’m going to go and do some tap classes, a little dance class…’.
‘That was the great thing about doing Strictly, it got me a chance to do something other than playing a surgeon on Holby for a while.’
The upcoming series – set to return to screens on September 8 – will see the likes of Lee Ryan, Ashley Roberts and Susannah Constantine to take to the dance floor.
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