Pro dancer Camilla Dallerup talks the curse of Strictly Come Dancing and staying friends with her celebrity partners…

Strictly Come Dancing kicks off this Friday and after weeks of training in private with their pros, this year’s celebrities will take to the dance-floor for their first live dance.

EE

by Ellie Henman |
Published on

So who better to tell us about what they can expect than former Strictly pro dancer, Camilla Dallerup, who now splits her time between Los Angeles and the UK.

Camilla, who left the BBC show in 2008 but returned last year as an assistant choreographer, is still close with her old dance partners.

“Strictly’s an experience you’ll never forget,” Camilla told heat.

“It’s such a big family – they welcome you with open arms. It takes over your life whether you like it or not because you want to do the best you can.

“You become friends [with your celebrity partners] for sure. I still speak to Roger [Black] – from series two – because we shared that experience.

“We can pick up the phone, same with Gethin [Jones] and Tom [Chambers] you become close friends – you’re guiding them through something new and out of their comfort zone.”

Camilla with her husband, actor, Kevin Sacre
Camilla with her husband, actor, Kevin Sacre

And Camilla, who’s starring in Cinderella later this year and is releasing her first book, Strictly Inspirational, in January 2015, says it’s understandable that some partnerships go further.

“You’re spending time doing fun things, it’s like going on lots of dates. You also get to see the other side too, you see the person under pressure and days when they get stressed out so it’s a good way to get to know each other.

“Of course [you see chemistry between couples] especially during the first dance but just because you have chemistry but it doesn’t mean you’re going to get with someone.

“When I won with Tom – I know that Tom’s wife and my husband [actor] Kevin Sacre, felt part of our team! I tell [other halves] to come along and have a look at training or we would all go for dinner so they would feel they were involved. If they’re outside of that bubble you can feel not part of it but you can be a big part of it.”

To find out more about Camilla’s new career as a life coach or about her book - check out her website, here!

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