Kelvin Fletcher joined BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt to talk about his journey on the BBC show. So far, he has been consistently at the top of the leaderboard for his thrilling performances, but it seems it could be taking a toll on his body.
Kelvin appeared just after Will Bayley was forced to withdraw from the competition following a nasty knee injury.
After a clip of his dance performances aired to viewers, Naga was keen to know why the former Emmerdale star fell to the floor at the end of one of his routines.
She exclaimed: “When I see you slumped to your knees, I bet you are exhausted, aren’t you?”
The former soap star replied: “Yeah, you’ll know yourself that it’s pretty physically gruelling and mentally gruelling as well.”
He continued: “With rehearsing all week, not seeing anyone but your training partner and then you arrive at the weekends and you perform live in front of the nation. Even as a performer I get really nervous.”
The contestants spend almost everyday rehearsing to deliver an excellent performance during the Saturday live shows.
Kelvin is partnered with professional dancer Oti Mabuse and like the actor, wants to work as hard as possible to get far in the competition.
He said: “She’s great. We’ve got a very similar work ethic and we both want to get the best out of each other. She’s very funny as well and we have some great moments.”
The amateur dancer had only praise to sing of Oti and the rest of the Strictly professional dancers.
Moving on, Charlie looked at his guest and sighed: “I’m no Strictly judge but you’re quite good right?”
A modest Kelvin said: “I’ve done alright. I think everyone has been amazing.”
The BBC host then highlighted how Kelvin wowed fans with his Samba on the first week and came on top of the leaderboard with a total score of 32.
Kelvin revealed that he didn’t have any dancing experience but started out as an eight-year-old.
“Being an actor, having confidence and that willingness to lose your inhibitions,“ he explained.
He believes this is what helps him to perform in front of an audience.
He also admitted that he is still learning the various dance techniques and mistakes are often caught out by judges and avid strictly viewers.
The soap star also spoke about his co-star Will Bayley’s decision to quit the show after he recently gained injuries.
Speaking about the paralympian, he said: “It’s a great loss for the show. I’m gutted. Absolutely devastated.”
Naga asked Kelvin about how it felt to replace Jamie Lang who was injured before the show’s launch.
He replied: “I didn’t know what to expect. It’s just been unfortunate for a lot of reasons for Jamie and Will as well.”
BBC Breakfast continues tomorrow at 6am on BBC One.
