Dan Walker’s dances on Strictly Come Dancing have inspired a fan to take up dancing again after they tragically lost his wife.
Whilst out on a walk, the BBC Breakfast host ran into one of his viewers called Cecil who revealed to him that he had stopped dancing after his wife passed away.
However, after watching Dan perform with his professional dance partner Nadiya Byckhova on BBC’s Strictly week after week, he has now decided to take up dancing lessons and do what he loves once more.
The BBC presenter recalled the emotional story as he sat with his co-host Sally Nugent on Tuesday’s show (November 9).
(Image: BBC)
Dan had been discussing the morning’s papers with Sally, who showed him a piece in The Sun with a headline which read: “How is Dan still in show?[Strictly]”.
Dan replied: “Oh no, oh Sally!” before telling viewers about his meeting with the Strictly fan.
He started off by saying:” Do you know what? When I watch Strictly at home when I’m not in it. I always think the test is, do I want to see that couple dance next week?
“And I think I’ve always said you’ve got to enjoy it, you’ve got to remember it’s a privilege to be on the programme, you’ve got to work hard, and you’ve got to try and improve every week.”
(Image: PA)
He went on: “And the best way to answer that is I had a chat with a lovely chat with a fella called Cecil when I walked the dog on Sunday.
“Cecil came up [to me], I’ve seen him a few times and he came over and had a chat and he said ‘do you mind if I have a chat with you about something?’
“I said ‘no, fire away’. And he said that his wife died thirty odd years ago, and they used to dance together.
“He stopped dancing when his wife died.”
(Image: BBC)
Everything changed when the fan saw Dan dance on Strictly, though.
Dan continued: “And then he said ‘I’ve watched Strictly for the first time in a long time’, and he said that ‘watching you and Nadiya, the enjoyment you get from dancing, even though you’re not a dancer and you’ve never danced before…’
“He goes ‘I’ve loved watching that so much that [he’s] started having lessons again.”
Sally was clearly moved by the story, and she gasped “wow” in a mixture of shock and delight.
(Image: BBC)
Dan added: “That’s what the programme’s all about. Can you as somebody who’s never danced before, bring the joy that I’d never understood comes from dancing, until I started going on this programme.”
Sally then cast the Sun article aside as she said: “That’s what I think of that article there!”
The pair then gave Cecil a good morning on air in case he was watching at home.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
