Greg Wise is adamant. Nothing and nobody – not even his wife Dame Emma Thompson, who’ll take her shoes off at the drop of a hat for a good old bop – can persuade him to step onto the dance floor at parties. So what’s brought the distinguished actor to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood to put himself through the rigours of Strictly Come Dancing?
‘What’s odd is that I start rehearsals on almost exactly the fifth anniversary of my sister Clare’s death from cancer. So she is front and centre in all of this.
‘And God she would have loved it. She’d have been there watching every Saturday night,’ smiles Greg, 55, looking dapper at our fabulous Strictly photoshoot.
‘Clare was brought into the crematorium in a disco-ball coffin. It started as a gag and I ran it by her close friends and the rest of the family.
Celebrities set to compete in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing have revealed their motivation for taking part (Pictured left to right: Nina Wadia, Tom Fletcher, Greg Wise, Tilly Ramsay and Robert Webb)
‘ I said, ‘Look, Clare’s not an oak, brass-handled coffin kind of girl.’ Then I was flicking through a coffin brochure… and there was this glitterball coffin.
‘For a laugh I took a photo of it and sent it to everyone, saying, ‘Ha ha.’ And they all came back with, ‘Perfect!’
‘So Clare came in to ABBA’s Dancing Queen and left to Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. I’ll have to do one routine to Dancing Queen, maybe a waltz.
‘Then it’ll be I Will Survive on the way out. Wouldn’t that be great, getting kicked out having done I Will Survive?’ he chuckles.
Dance-loving Clare was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and charted her journey with the disease in a blog. As the cancer spread Greg cared for her full-time, taking over her blog and living with her for the last three months of her life. His grief is still evident today.
‘I do work for the Carers Trust, End Of Life Doula UK [counsellors trained to assist with the process of dying] and The Good Grief Trust.
‘I did some filming yesterday for Camden Carers and when I said, ‘I’m doing this for my sister,’ I began to cry.
‘I thought, ‘Wow!’ Grief will bite you on the a*** when you least expect it. It was an extraordinary trauma but also an incredible privilege. I wouldn’t be on Strictly otherwise.’
Greg does admit he danced on what would have been Clare’s 52nd birthday when the tables were cleared at a gathering of 120 people and two hours of pumping 1980s disco ensued.
Greg Wise, 55, (pictured), who met his Oscar-winning wife on the set of Sense And Sensibility in 1995, said anything gets Emma on the dancefloor but usually nothing makes him dance
‘I did dance, but Emma was the life and soul of that night. She loves taking off her shoes and she’ll dance all night.
‘Anything gets her on the dance floor, but she’s really into 80s hits. But usually nothing makes me dance. Just ask Dame Mrs Wise.’
Greg met his Oscar-winning wife on the set of Sense And Sensibility in 1995 and they married in 2003. They’re parents to daughter Gaia and adopted son Tindyebwa Agaba.
So what does she think of it all? ‘When I was first asked about coming on Strictly I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ Emma was away filming so it was two or three days later when I said, ‘You’ll never guess what…’ And she said, ‘Are you mad? You’ve got to do it!’
‘We’re used to things changing in a heartbeat. Emma’s just finishing her third film in a row so she’s been shooting since January. We’d organised having our first holiday in seven years and spending a good chunk of time together.
‘We’re not going to spend any time together now. I’m going to be rehearsing all the time. The only time she’ll see me is on telly.
‘But she’s thrilled because I think it’s also very relaxing, seeing your other half working really hard while you’re lying around reading Jilly Cooper novels. We’ve been together 26 years and she knows I’ll do anything for a challenge.
‘I’m there for the physicality of it. I’m competitive with myself. Also, I’m 55, so I think, ‘How far can I push this body?’
Will Greg end up practising at home with Emma and leading her around the kitchen?
‘No. I don’t think you can lead a dame,’ he laughs. But Prince Charles did just that when Emma famously said dancing with the prince was better than sex. Greg laughs.
‘What does that say about Prince Charles? And about me? It must have been before my time, years ago. And it must have been with someone else, obviously.’
Emma later explained, ‘It was, I think, at his 50th birthday party and he’s a fantastic dancer. He’s a brilliant waltzer, he has that hand in the small of your back and you go, ‘Ooh, let me go with you. Lead me where you will. I’ll follow…’
It turns out that Greg does, in fact, love a bit of Scottish dancing at Hogmanay in their holiday home in Argyll.
‘Our lovely farmer mate will come down and I’ll clear an old outbuilding. She’ll bring her music and talk us through dances we’ll have forgotten like Strip The Willow, The Dashing White Sergeant and The Gay Gordons.
‘Then we have a wonderful local band called Canned Haggis. Everyone comes together.’
THE OTHER TEN CELEBRITIES IN WITH A CHA-CHA-CHANCE
AJ Odudu The 33-year-old presenter is best known for her work on The Voice UK and Big Brother’s Bit On The Side.
John Whaite John, 32, won Bake Off in 2012. He’s since become a TV chef and written several cookery books.
Katie McGlynn After leaving Coronation Street where she played Sinead Tinker, Katie, 28, joined Hollyoaks.
AJ Odudu (pictured left) who is best known for her work on The Voice UK and John Whaite (pictured), who won Bake Off in 2012 are set to compete on Strictly
Sara Davies Businesswoman Sara, 37, joined the panel on Dragons’ Den in 2019.
Rhys Stephenson The actor and children’s TV presenter, 27, has worked on Blue Peter and Newsround.
Dan Walker Dan, 44, presents BBC Breakfast and has hosted Match Of The Day.
Rose Ayling-Ellis (pictured left) who is best known for EastEnders and Adam Peaty (pictured right) who won golds in Tokyo will take part
Rose Ayling-Ellis Rose, 26, who plays Frankie Lewis on EastEnders, will be Strictly’s first deaf contestant.
Adam Peaty He’s just won two more golds in Tokyo, now swimmer Adam, 26, is going for the glitterball.
Judi Love Stand-up comedian and Loose Women presenter Judi, 41, was a Celebrity MasterChef finalist last year.
Ugo Monye The former British Lion, 38, is one of the new team captains on BBC1’s Question Of Sport.
Not only is Greg handsome but he’s also in great shape – like a British George Clooney. When I tell him he’s a hot favourite he says, ‘Oh, that’s nice. I’m musical and fairly happy within my body, and with these sensational teachers I couldn’t be in better hands.
‘But I need someone who’ll thrash me and push me to the limit. My body’s the shape it is with the work I do at our cottage in Scotland. I do a lot of chainsawing, pulling trees out and digging ditches.
‘But I’ve been cheating these last few weeks. I’m either on my bicycle at six in the morning or my missus has a little sort of Pilates studio over the road, above her office. So I can go there and sweat for an hour.’
How is he feeling about sequins, spray tans and showing off his chest? ‘I might have to shave,’ he says, pulling down the T-shirt he’s changed into.
‘It’s all a bit old dog down here. I’m good mates with last year’s Strictly winner Bill Bailey, and if Bill got a spray tan, so can I.’
Tom Fletcher, 36 (pictured), who is best known for being the lead singer of McFly, said he’s nervous about Strictly because he’s terrible at sports
His fellow competitor Tom Fletcher, lead singer and guitarist in one of Britain’s most successful bands, McFly, is also happy to dive into the spray tan booth, not least because his McFly bandmate Harry Judd was the Strictly winner in 2011.
‘I remember the biscuity smell of Harry’s spray tans from that time,’ laughs Tom, 36.
‘Or maybe he smells like that anyway! Harry’s been talking about Strictly ever since he won it, but I never knew if he was trying to steer me away as he’s fiercely competitive.
‘Because he’s my best mate I never wanted him to feel like I was trying to steal his glitterball. Then this year, as it’s ten years on from his Strictly, I asked him how he’d feel about me doing it and he said, ‘I’d love to see you do it.’
Harrow-born Tom took the lead role in Oliver! in the West End aged ten, started writing music for boyband Busted at 16 and is now one of the UK’s bestselling children’s authors. Yet he once said he does a lot of things averagely.
‘I’m not very confident, actually, which is weird,’ he says now. ‘I think I genuinely have an average ability to pick up things quickly, but not excel in any area.’
When he auditioned for the pop band Busted he’d planned to quit showbiz and do his A-levels. Busted’s management then decided to stick with three rather than four boys, so he wrote songs for them.
Then McFly happened. ‘It was devastating when I didn’t get in Busted, but it was a big turning point as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do until I’d had that taken away. I’m fiercely driven.’
But he’s nervous about Strictly. ‘I’m terrible at sports and my body doesn’t do what I want it to. Being in a band you have the safety blanket of a guitar and a mic stand, so suddenly being exposed is going to be the biggest hurdle.
‘Harry had no dance experience and he’s a real dancer now, whereas I’m never on a dance floor unless I’ve had a lot to drink.’
His wife Giovanna, the actress, author and reigning I’m A Celebrity queen, and their three children Buzz, seven, Buddy, five, and Max, three, have been backing him all the way.
‘She’s very supportive. We love Strictly as a family and that was one of the main reasons I wanted to do it. Buzz loved Chris Ramsey in 2019, and he sobbed when he was voted out.
‘Then last year he was emotionally invested in it so we were juggling because he wanted to watch Strictly and Giovanna was in the jungle at the same time. So I’d say, ‘We should probably watch your mum as well.’
Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Tilly, 19, (pictured) said he has warned her not to date any of the dancers, as she insists she’s taking part to learn to dance and have fun
Tom has talked openly about his mental health problems which have included an eating disorder, depression and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
‘You can’t start to get better until you start having those difficult conversations and understanding,’ he says.
‘I feel like all my issues are in the past now. I’ve been in a really good place for a long time. But being in the public eye is a difficult thing to deal with, so I feel like you have to be in a pretty good place before you sign up to things like Strictly.’
He may be feeling more confident than Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Tilly, 19, who hosted her own cookery show on CBBC, Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch. She’s still trying to get to grips with the dancing shoes.
‘I’m a leggings, cardigans and hoodies girl normally but I love the Strictly dresses, though I’m struggling with the heels,’ says Tilly, one of five Ramsay children.
‘I wore heels to my 18th birthday for five minutes until the photos were done, then they were straight off and I was in trainers. I’m worried about falling over as I’m the clumsiest person ever. I broke my ankle two years ago and my arm last year.
‘I tried to mop and Hoover at home the other day in my heels but I felt a bit silly so I took them off. I was a real tomboy.
‘I thought my brother Jack was the coolest person in the world so I always tried to copy him. Mum put me into a ballet class but that lasted all of a couple of hours, then I was straight into football camp with Jack.
‘I love being pushed though, and this is so out of my comfort zone, from the heels to all the glitz and the dancing. My dad said, ‘Rather you than me.’ It’s a rare sight to see any Ramsay dancing.
‘We attempt it but it ends in giggles because we see Dad doing a dad dance then we can’t stop laughing. We’re more of a comedy show.’
Her father, meanwhile, has warned her not to date any of the dancers. ‘I’m here to learn to dance and have fun,’ insists Tilly.
‘I said, ‘You’ve always got to drop in an embarrassing comment Dad, haven’t you?’ He’d love to come and watch me on the show but I’m worried he’ll do something embarrassing like try to get on stage.’
It’s a very busy time for Tilly, who’s not only been competing in Celebrity MasterChef Australia, but is also about to start university. ‘There’ll be no freshers’ week for me,’ she laughs.
Robert Webb, 48, (pictured), who is best known for Peep Show, won Let’s Dance For Comic Relief with his incredible Flashdance routine
Perhaps the most unlikely candidate on Strictly is comedian and Peep Show actor Robert Webb, who, with David Mitchell, is also one half of comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. You might think he’d have considered Strictly too mainstream, but on the contrary.
‘I suppose because Peep Show was very rude it always had a cult following,’ says Robert, 48.
‘But I’m not cool and I’ve always had a great respect for joyful entertainment shows. The first conversation me and David Mitchell had when we met was how we loved Morecambe and Wise. We’re very mainstream.
‘David and I were talking about comedians who were too cool to do all kinds of things when I said, ‘Talking of that, I’m doing Strictly.’ He was delighted.’
Robert, who won Let’s Dance For Comic Relief with his incredible Flashdance routine, underwent surgery two years ago after a routine medical check on the set of his Channel 4 sitcom Back revealed he had a heart condition that could have caused a heart attack within months.
‘If I make it to Strictly’s Halloween show that will be the two-year anniversary of my life-saving surgery. It was terrifying. That’s when you start thinking about the children.
‘ I was exhausted all the time and thought that’s just what being in my late 40s and very unfit was. Also I was treating my body like a skip. I was smoking and drinking a lot,’ says Robert, who has two daughters, Esme, 12, and Dory, ten, with his wife Abigail.
‘But after surgery you come out with a new-found respect for your internal organs. You want to look after them, and this is another reason to do Strictly.
‘But also because I’d read a lot about addiction and recognised that it was a miserable conveyor belt that I was very glad to be off. Looking back, I could never have imagined I’d be here now doing Strictly.’
Fellow actor and comedian Nina Wadia is also on a health kick, sipping a juice as she prepares for the shoot.
Nina Wadia, 52, (pictured), who did classical Indian dancing as a child, said she’s been told that she may have to wear higher heels because of her height
‘I’m being uber-healthy and walking everywhere,’ says the bubbly 52-year-old, who’s married to Canadian composer Raiomond Mirza and mum to Tia, 17, and Aidan, 14. How about dancing though? ‘I need to make sure the shoes don’t hurt first. When I put them on I thought, ‘I won’t survive more than 20 minutes in these.’ They’re so tight.
‘Between the ages of four and nine I did classical Indian dancing called Bharatanatyam. The teachers used to stand on our feet to flatten them, so you get a better sound, like a slapping sound.
‘So I have no arches. But dancing is a passion of mine. I’m always first on the floor but it doesn’t mean I know how to dance,’ laughs Nina, who’s best known for playing Zainab Masood in EastEnders.
The snag is she may have to wear a higher-than-average heel.
‘As I’m short I’ve been told I might have to wear 3in heels instead of 2in. I do dress up if I’ve got a TV appearance, and I like my legs so I don’t mind getting them out.’
She jokes that the only chance she has of winning is if she blindfolds the judges.
‘Ladbrokes have said I’m going to be first out. So I’ve told my friends and family, ‘Come early, I’m odds-on to be out first.’ My money is on Robert Webb – he’s a fantastic dancer.’
THE SIZZLING NEW PROS
Kai Widdrington was all set to become a professional football player like his father Tommy, who played for Southampton and Grimsby Town, until he started dance lessons to help improve his skills and agility.
Learning to step in time to the music of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley he felt something he didn’t get with football.
‘I fell in love with dance so I gave up on the idea of being a footballer to pursue it,’ says Strictly’s new British professional dancer. ‘Dancing is something I can’t live without. It’s like waking up in the morning.’
Kai Widdrington (pictured), who is Strictly’s new British professional dancer, fell in love with dance after initially taking lessons to improve his skills and agility when playing football
While there’s always plenty of football on TV, Strictly was one of the few shows that showcased dance as he grew up to become the youngest-ever World Junior Latin American champion, aged just 14.
‘I’ve known about Strictly since it first started in 2004 so it feels a bit surreal that I’m going to be dancing on that stage I’ve watched since I was a boy,’ says Kai, now 26.
The dancer, who was a finalist in 2012’s Britain’s Got Talent when he was 16 with then partner Natalia Jeved (Ashleigh and Pudsey won that year), is one of four new pros starting this series. The dance world is so small they all have connections to each other and the pros already on the show.
Since moving from Ireland, where he starred on the local version of Strictly, Kai has been living with Strictly’s Italian Stallion Giovanni Pernice, one of his closest friends.
‘It’s not as exciting as maybe it seems on Instagram,’ admits Kai, who’s single after splitting from Italian dancer Giulia Dotta last year.
‘Usually, we’re just lying down playing Fortnite or FIFA. If we got paid for the number of hours we spend on the PlayStation, we’d be very rich.’
He isn’t the only new pro who will be competing against a good friend. Jowita Przystal, 27, says Strictly favourite Oti Mabuse has become her best friend since the two met on ITV talent show The Greatest Dancer, which the Polish Latin Champion won last year with her partner and boyfriend Michal Danilczuk, after being mentored by Oti.
Jowita Przystal, 27, (pictured centre), who started dancing cheerleader-style aged seven, was convinced by her mum to start ballroom at age 12
‘From the moment we met we became best friends because we have the same vibe,’ says Jowita. ‘We’re strong women who love to work hard; she’s my queen.’
Jowita started dancing cheerleader-style aged seven.
‘Mum convinced me to try ballroom when I was 12. I wasn’t that keen because I was shy about dancing with a boy – but I fell in love with it,’ she recalls.
Oti also has links with Cameron Lombard, 20, the latest South African to join the show, following in the footsteps of Oti, her judge sister Motsi and pro dancer Johannes Radebe.
‘I’ve been watching Oti and Johannes since I was young because when I started they were at the top of their game,’ says the reigning South African Latin Champion. ‘I feel we’re going to be the South African triple threat on Strictly.’
Cameron, who was born in Cape Town, has some family history when it comes to ballroom – one of his great-uncles was a dancer – and he’s been twirling on the dance floor since he was five.
Ukrainian Nikita Kuzmin, 23, has also been dancing almost all of his life. ‘My mum loves Latin music, that’s how my passion started,’ he recalls. ‘When I was four she took my sister and me to ballroom dancing and we never looked back.’
Dance took Nikita to Denmark, where he had a partner for several years, and then to Italy where his sister is also a champion dancer. He has been Latin and ballroom champion in Italy six times, and has also appeared on the German version of Strictly.
‘I love the originality with which Strictly approaches every year. It’s a dream come true to be here and be able to create magic on the best dance floor in the world.’
Nicole Lampert
Strictly Come Dancing launches on Saturday 18 September on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.