Emmerdale star Deena Payne had her dreams of starring on Strictly Come Dancing crushed due to a “clash of the titans” between ITV and BBC.
Deena, who starred in Emmerdale for an incredible 18 years as Viv Hope, went through her fair share of dramatic storylines – from her affair with Paddy Kirk to giving birth to twins.
And as such, she soon became a soap icon in her own right.
But, as she was tied into a contract with ITV at the time, when Deena got close to achieving her dreams of appearing on rival network BBC’s show Strictly, her dreams were quickly dashed.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Star, Deena admitted: “I wouldn’t appear on any reality TV show except Strictly. Strictly is the one I’ve always loved, because I’ve always danced, and I’m a good dancer.
(Image: Splash News)
“However, I think I got right to the end, years and years ago – probably about 16 years ago, around when it started and I was still on Emmerdale. In September, my agent said, ‘They’re just finalising everybody at the end of the week!’ and I couldn’t believe it when I wasn’t.
“But it was to do with the clash of the titans [between ITV and BBC] at the time, because I was still in Emmerdale and quite a large part of it, and they didn’t like it, I don’t think. So that was that.”
(Image: Unknown)
Deena added that a hip operation last November might have postponed her Strictly dreams for now, as she explained: “I’ve always wanted to go on Strictly. However, I’ve used this downtime to have a couple of operations – one was a cataract operation and the other was a hip replacement in November.”
And it looks like the actress has plenty to fill her time with while she’s waiting for the chance to fight for the Glitterball, as along with being qualified in everything from reflexology to Indian head massage, she’s setting up a studio to help kids who want to get into acting.
(Image: Getty Images)
She gushed: “I’ve got a health and wellness clinic where I treat the whole person. I do aromatherapy, Reiki, nutrition, and I’m a pilates instructor. My treatment is reflexology, Indian head massage, aromatherapy – and I teach pilates as well.
“I’m also opening up a studio for kids and anyone who is interested in acting, to help them get the confidence to show dance routines or audition pieces.
“I’ve got the space now to be able to offer that from my home, so I’m going to be offering classes if any kids want help, acting-wise – whatever level they’re at.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
