Countryfile presenter Charlotte Smith has joked that she “wouldn’t be let anywhere near Strictly,” after dancing on Children In Need.
Charlotte and her fellow Countryfile stars have recently completed a fundraising ramble across the UK for the BBC charity, with herself, Matt Baker, John Craven, Anita Rani and Margherita Taylor raising more than £12.5m so far.
It is not the first time Charlotte has raised money for Children In Need however, after previously taking part in a fundraising song and dance segment as during one of its annual live charity telethons.
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Speaking exclusively to Daily Star about the ramble, Charlotte reflected on previously raising money for Children In Need, and joked that she thinks her previous charity dancing stint might put Strictly bosses off asking her to take part in the show in the future.
(Image: BBC Studios/Pete Dadds)
She said: “I spend my life in the rain, in wellies, and they took me to the Children In Need studio. It’s amazing.
“They had people to do our hair, our costumes, but we had to dance and sing – and I don’t really do either of those things. I’ve never watched it.
“So I’m in absolute blissful ignorance to how bad it was. The family said, ‘yeah it was fine’, and then looked at the floor. I suspect it wasn’t brilliant.”
Asked if she would ever follow in Matt Baker, Hamza Yassin and Helen Skelton’s footsteps to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, Charlotte added: “I think if they ever watched that, they wouldn’t let me anywhere near it.”
“Of course, I’m one of those people who watch Strictly and I’m pretty sure I could last until week one.”
However, Charlotte has joined forces once again with Children In Need to raise money through a ramble, which has seen her meet families and young people across England.
Speaking about meeting a young girl with autism called Isabella, whose life has been changed through a service animal from Dogs For Autism, Charlotte explained how the smallest amount of money can make a difference to children’s lives, and the lives of their families.
She said: “You can raise £20 for instance and that will pay for a family training session with a dog. It really makes a difference.”
(Image: BBC Children in Need)
Charlotte continued: “I was in Yorkshire with a little girl called Isabella who has autism. She has a dog from an organisation called Dogs For Autism,” adding: “The difference that the dog has made to the whole family, not just Isabella, but to the whole family was just jaw dropping.”
Speaking about the ramble, the Countryfile team are now encouraging people to get outdoors and raise money to help young people and their families, with Charlotte saying: “You can go for a really long walk up a mountain, or you can just have a toddle about.
“It doesn’t really matter how long it is or how hard it is. The idea is to get everybody outside. I think it’s brilliant.”
(Image: Supplied by Eliza Edwards BBC)
“You’ll have a really lovely day, just tootling around, taking in nature and raising money for a great cause,” she added.
Charlotte also heaped praise on her Countryfile co-star Matt Baker, who is not only taking part in the ramble, but once again completing his Rickshaw challenge for Children In Need, alongside young people who the charity have supported.
Speaking about Matt, she said: “The man is amazing. His Rickshaw challenge is incredible. That’s the only word for it.
“I went on a very gentle ramble in West Yorkshire, absolutely gorgeous. He grinds out miles and miles and miles on that rickshaw, and if you ever see Matt working with kids, he’s just really natural. He’s really good with kids, and he loves it.
“Matt Baker is a level of fitness that I could only aspire to. He’s incredible.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
