It seems Hamza Yassin isn’t too worried about how far he gets on Strictly Come Dancing.
That’s because the Countryfile presenter said that even appearing on the BBC show is something he counts as a “win already”, because he battles with “severe” dyslexia.
But he might want to start thinking about the glitterball trophy after all, because the first live show saw him and Will Mellor top the leaderboards with 34 points out of 40.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Hamza Yassin slams ‘woke’ claims and defends co-star from ‘nonsense’ critics
Hamza, who is partnered with dancing pro Jowita Przystal, spoke to Daily Star and other press at a roundtable event ahead of their dancefloor debut.
(Image: BBC)
He opened up about living with a learning difficulty like dyslexia and how it’s affected his mindset going into the show, and also seemed to praise the programme’s inclusive casting.
Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mostly affects skills such as fluent word reading and spelling.
He said: “I’m severely dyslexic, so to know that someone that has as much severe dyslexia as me is on TV, being successful, that’s amazing.
“Go back twenty or fifteen years and say to that young kid ‘You’re going to be doing this… it’s a win already.”
(Image: BBC)
Asked how far he’s hoping to get in the competition, Hamza replied: “Yeah, past the first round, into the second! Take every week as your last, just enjoy it.”
The wildlife cameraman said he got some Strictly tips from his pal Reverend Richard Coles.
“He’s an amazing, amazing dude,” Hamza said. “He just said have the best time ever. Enjoy every single moment of it, because it will go quick. He said ‘I wasn’t in there for long, but enjoy every single moment of it’.”
Strictly has received a backlash from critics claiming the show is a “woke box-ticking” exercise as it casts contestants with disabilities and same-sex couples.
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Hamza slammed the claims on Thursday’s episode of (September 29) Steph’s Packed Lunch.
He said: “In the kindest way possible, I think it’s nonsense, because inclusivity is the most important, and more importantly representation. Never in a million years did we think that we’d need representation, but we do need it.
“To see someone of a similar sex, age, ethnicity, height, whatever it is, body size. ‘If Hamza can do it, he’s a big man, then maybe I can do it’. That’s what it’s all about. it’s not about ‘We all have to look the same’, so inclusivity is so important and representation.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
