It’s been a while since Kevin Clifton took to the Strictly Come Dancing stage but the professional dancer thinks he might automatically slip into his onstage persona during The Games – ITV’s revival of the reality sports competition.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press ahead of The Games, the former Strictly star said he’s worried he’ll start to “show off” once he’s put in front of a live audience again.
When asked how the live element of Strictly Come Dancing compares to that of The Games, Clifton said: “In training, we’re all focused and the coaches are like, ‘Do this, do that,’ and you’re very focused.
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/04/the_games_28-042e496.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C348" "\"\"")
“My worry is that when all the audience get in here, I’m gonna start wanting to show off because I’m so used to being like, ‘Let’s entertain everyone! Let’s get everyone going,’ at Strictly.”
As for how the big crowd will affect his performance, he said: “It’ll egg me on. I’m worried that all my technical will go out the window because I’ll be like, ‘Yes! Let’s go, let’s go!’ You can’t win anyone over through votes.”
The dancer, who left Strictly after seven years in 2020, is just one of the celebrities who’ll be taking on The Games next week, with the line-up expected to take part in a series of sporting challenges with the hopes of emerging the 2022 champion.
Hosted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff with commentary from Chris Kamara and trackside reporting from Alex Scott, the show will see the likes of Wes Nelson, Rebecca Sarker, Olivia Attwood, Lucrezia Millarini and Max George compete in live shows throughout the week.
The Games starts on Monday 9th May at 9pm on ITV. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.