Strictly Come Dancing hopeful Dan Walker has admitted he is pals with show judge Shirley Ballas.
The pair have had a close relationship for years.
They first struck up a bond in 2019 when they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania together to raise money for Comic Relief and they have stayed close ever since.
Dan, 44, said: “We had some great conversations on that trip. I really got to know her quite well. I’m looking forward to seeing her.
“We’ve had a few Kilimanjaro reunions and I think she’s great and incredibly talented and she knows what she is talking about.”
(Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Dan risks a favouritism row by revealing they are such good pals.
It is likely to lead to speculation that he will get extra marks from Shirley, 61, on the BBC dance contest.
But he insists it is unlikely to help him because she has already seen him dance — and ended up laughing at him.
Dan said: “On one particular occasion Shirley was feeling a bit down and a bit upset, so I nicked one of the blankets we were using to keep warm at night and I did a bit of impromptu Pasodoble, and she laughed her head off, which I’m not sure is the best thing.
“I questioned whether I would’ve got a 10 from Len, but she continued to laugh, so I’m not sure the technique was great, but it had the desired effect of making her laugh.”
TV favourite Dan was paired with former Playboy model Nadiya Bychkova, 32, in Saturday night’s launch show.
And bookies are tipping them to sail through the early weeks of this year’s series.
(Image: BBC)
But Dan had a setback on Friday when he was taken to hospital after bashing his head on a glass door.
The injury has forced him to miss some training sessions.
He said: “I’ve got to rest for a couple of days – so I’ll be a bit behind – but ready to dig in again next week.”
Strictly Come Dancing’s live shows kick off next Saturday on BBC One
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
