Strictly star on 'those hips' after salsa success

Strictly Come Dancing celebrity George Clarke says he comes from a "long line of hip throwers" following his success dancing the salsa.

The Youtuber and his dance partner, Alexis Warr, are among the final six couples in the competition, after scoring 39 points out of 40 for their most recent performance.

Clarke, from Bristol, joked he had "no real control" of his hips, and "wound them up and let them off like a rocket" before he took to the dancefloor.

He added he did not expect to come so far in the competition, and his salsa performance was "a bit of a blur".

"Coming into this I wasn't joking when I said I'd never danced.

"I'd go to a club and if I did anything more than a two-step I'd immediately get embarrassed and run to the bar," Clarke said.

This week's Strictly episode features a new format which will see contestants draw dance styles from a hat and perform them straight afterwards.

If the pair, can make it through that, he will be in the quarter-finals, with the final around the corner on 20 December.

Clarke thanked people who had voted for him so far and added that - despite his laid-back persona - he "really cared" about his place in the competition, and would be "over the moon" to reach the final.

"Each week it feels like we are improving and obviously the dances are very different each week, but it's something that is just very enjoyable. It has become our whole lives," he said.

And what about the impact on him and his family back in Bristol?

Clarke agreed he was being recognised more in his home city, which was "very cool".

He said: "[Strictly] is something that's more tangible to my family. If it's something like this, it's like 'oh, it is a job, I'll stop nagging him'."

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