Jonnie Peacock
Dust off your dancing shoes, Strictly Come Dancing is waltzing back onto BBC One for its 15th series.
Published: 5 September 2017
I’m trying to be the best version of myself and be the best dancer that I can be but I don’t think that’s going to be high enough to do anything spectacular in the show.
Why are you taking part in Strictly this year?
I think the timing was perfect, just after the Paralympics and the World Championships. I was always going to take a down year anyway and when the opportunity came around, it’s a very hard one to say no to. It’s a big challenge for me and I’m very excited to see how I cope with it all.
What are you most looking forward to on Strictly?
I think the feeling after the first or second show once you have got the groove of it and I’ve faced my fear of looking like an idiot in public and embarrassing myself. It’s a big reason why I want to do it; I want to get away from that.
What are you looking for in a dance partner?
Somebody who is able to laugh, have a good time and really enjoy it. Someone who will want to push me and will make sure they will get on my case a bit but also someone that won’t go on it too hard because at the same time, I am competitive but I am here to have fun and push myself. I don’t think I’m particularly the best dancer in the world so I don’t think I’m going to make it too far.
How far do you hope to make it in the competition?
I am normally really competitive with pretty much anything but again with this, my expectations are so low of myself that I’m not coming into this with a competitive attitude whatsoever. I’m trying to be the best version of myself and be the best dancer that I can be but I don’t think that’s going to be high enough to do anything spectacular in the show. For me, I’m not thinking about the final because I don’t rate myself enough to make it there but I think I’d be really happy if I could even get a score of 5 or 6 on the show, I’d be happy enough with that.
