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Washington Bureau Chief
Chris McCausland has detailed a mishap he and Strictly Come Dancing’s Dianne Buswell suffered ahead of the series’ first live show.
The comedian, 47, who is the show’s first blind contestant, performed a cha cha with his professional partner to “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles on Saturday night (21 September).
Strictly’s judges, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, were in awe of what McCausland had achieved and scored the performance 23 out of 40 points.
But McCausland, who lost his sight aged 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa, later revealed to the Strictly presenter Claudia Winkleman that training had not been without its difficulties.
“[Dianne] kicked me in the head one day,” he admitted. “I did not avoid or anticipate it. I stood there and took a foot right to the face.”
Detailing how she has been teaching McCausland their Strictly routines, Buswell explained ahead of their performance: “I can’t show [Chris] what something needs to look like.
“But I’ve found that Chris places his hand on my body or he feels what my arms are doing and then he instantly gets an idea of what he should be doing.”
McCausland added: “Working with Diane, her energy never wavers. She’s really really patient and she’s definitely bringing the best out of me.”
He continued: “It’s a good partnership and I couldn’t be happier.”
The comedian told The Independent ahead of his first Strictly performance that he and Buswell are “winging it” when it comes to their training technique.
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Try for free“We’re just gonna have to figure it out as we go along,” he said.
“The production team are just being really flexible. My dance partner is figuring out how to teach me. And we are winging it. That’s the best way I think.”
McCausland received a standing ovation from Strictly’s studio audience for his first performance on the show on Saturday night.
“It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” judge Anton Du Beke praised. “Just brilliant.”
Meanwhile, Shirley Ballas added: “I didn’t know what to expect… you had great skills listening to your partner.
“I’m quite shocked and very emotional.”
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