Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland revealed appearing on the show was by far the ‘scariest’ thing he has ever done as he reflected on the competition’s unexpected emotional rollercoaster.
During Friday’s instalment of The One Show, the comedian, 47, joined hosts Alex Jones, 47, and Lauren Laverne, 46, to discuss his experience on the BBC show.
He was also joined by Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, 58, and comedian Lee Mack, 56, and the pair spoke about their upcoming Christmas film, Bad Tidings, which premieres on December 22.
00:47
02:23
TV presenter Alex kicked off the show by welcoming all three guests before turning to Chris to congratulate him on winning the show.
She said: ‘Congratulations Chris! We were in floods of tears in our house, has it sunk in at all yet?’
Chris smiled as he admitted: ‘It’s been insane. I mean it’s relentless, the show is stressful, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It’s the most exhausting challenge I think I’ve ever done, but the most rewarding thing I think I’ll ever do.’
+11
View gallery
Strictly winner Chris McCausland revealed appearing on the show was by far the scariest thing he has ever done as he reflected on the competition’s unexpected emotional rollercoaster
+11
View gallery
During Friday’s instalment of The One Show, the comedian, 47, joined hosts Alex Jones, 47, and Lauren Laverne, 46, to discuss his experience on the BBC show
‘It’s been remarkable really, and I didn’t expect it to be emotional, I just thought it was dancing and I thought if you were good then you’d entertain people and they (would smile).’
He added: ‘But I didn’t expect people to cry, I didn’t expect me to cry, and I kept it in until I did (the) semi-final and then once the tap was on I couldn’t get off it.’
During the show, Judge Anton also praised Chris for his performance on the show, by saying: ‘You were so extraordinary, (with) what you were able to achieve’
‘Because people asked me at the beginning when we heard you were going on, “What do you think he’s gonna do? how do you think he’s gonna get on with it?”.’
‘I said well to be honest with you I don’t really know, I have absolutely no idea because if it was me, I’d probably get you in hold and I’d keep you in hold, and we’d go round the floor and that would be as much as we could achieve.’
‘But from the moment you started, I think the first dance, Dianne was doing a cartwheel into you and you were catching her mid-air.’
He continued: ‘You were so brave in what you attempted, and with you and Dianne, I love the fact that it was a joint effort, that you did it together, and you just pushed and pushed.’
Chris then hilariously recalled how Dianne accidentally kicked him in the head during rehearsals, saying: ‘She did a cartwheel I brought her leg down and played a guitar on it.’
+11
View gallery
TV presenter Alex kicked off the show by welcoming all three guests before turning to Chris to congratulate him on winning the show
+11
View gallery
He was also joined by Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, 58, and comedian Lee Mack, 56, (pictured) and the pair spoke about their upcoming Christmas film, Bad Tidings, which premieres on December 22
+11
View gallery
TV presenter Alex (left) kicked off the show by welcoming all three guests before turning to Chris to ask him whether him winning the competition has sunk in yet
+11
View gallery
Chris smiled as he admitted: ‘It’s been insane. I mean it’s relentless, the show is stressful, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done’
+11
View gallery
He continued: ‘It’s the most exhausting challenge I think I’ve ever done, but the most rewarding thing I think I’ll ever do’
+11
View gallery
Elsewhere on the show, hosts Alex and Lauren gave viewers at home a glimpse of Chris and Lee’s upcoming Christmas film, Bad Tidings
+11
View gallery
The film follows grumpy home security expert Neil (Lee) and his neighbour Scott (Chris), who dislike one another. But when the local crime family, the Brennans, decide to rob every house on the street in a single night, the pair must set aside their differences to defend their street
He laughed as he added: ‘In rehearsal, she kicked me right in the head and I remember later if there was ever any doubt that she thought maybe I could see something, I just stood there and took a foot in the face.’
Elsewhere on the show, hosts Alex and Lauren gave viewers at home a glimpse of Chris and Lee’s upcoming Christmas film, Bad Tidings.
The film follows grumpy home security expert Neil (Lee) and his neighbour Scott (Chris), who are in the middle of a feud.
Scott insists on keeping his Christmas lights illuminated all year round and often mixes up their bins, criticising Neil’s ‘project’ car and generally winding him up.
But when the local crime family, the Brennans, decide to rob every house on the street in a single night, the pair must set aside their differences to defend their street and save Christmas.
It comes as the comedian is reportedly set to rake in a whopping £1M following last week’s nail-biting finale where he and his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell, 35, lifted the mirror ball trophy after the public voted him as their winner.
He was crowned champion during the live final after beating fellow finalists Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill and Sarah Hadland.
Chris has already added an incredible 100 extra dates to his Yonks comedy tour and according to The Mirror is being lined up for TV presenting and acting gigs – after being said to have helped to save the glitzy competition following a year of scandals.
+11
View gallery
It comes as the comedian is reportedly set to rake in a whopping £1M following last week’s nail-biting finale where he and his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell, 35, lifted the mirror ball trophy
+11
View gallery
Chris has already added an incredible 100 extra dates to his Yonks comedy tour and is reportedly being lined up for TV presenting roles and acting gigs
PR expert Mark Borkowski told the publication: ‘He hasn’t just danced his way to the bank, he’s carried Strictly there with him turning a potentially disastrous serious into a glittering headline-grabbing redemption arc.’
‘As a blind comedian, he’s shattered expectations and delivered a victory that eels both groundbreaking and natural, proving talent and charisma are what truly captivate an audience.’
Before adding: ‘Strictly just polished his star into prime-time gold.’
Meanwhile Chris and his ‘down to earth humour’ are also reportedly being lined up for a huge BBC show in a bid to boost the broadcaster’s comedy output.
He has not only made history during his Strictly stint as the show’s first-ever blind contestant but also impressed bosses with his cheeky wit.
A source told The Sun: ‘What he did by keeping everyone in fits during the course of Strictly was show that he wasn’t just funny, but proved he had a traditional sense of humour that can connect with the ordinary viewers at home.’
‘That’s something which critics have said is lacking from many comedy series on the Beeb, and Chris could breathe new life into a genre which was once a mainstay for the corporation.’
Before adding that Chris’ talents could also be used for more general entrainment shows and bosses are also planning to reunite him with pro partner Dianne to recapture their ‘sensational chemistry’.
