Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu can officially call themselves Strictly Come Dancing finalists as they prepare to take to the ballroom floor for the last time tonight in a bid for the Glitterball trophy.
It’s not been an easy journey to the final for singer and actress Molly, though, as she has found herself in the dance off no fewer than four times over the course of the season.
It’s a testament to her dance abilities that the Strictly judges have saved her every time, meaning she survived to dance another week, but it’s clear getting votes from the viewers has been a struggle.
Speaking to press including RadioTimes.com this week, Molly admitted her previous dance training might have been a contributing factor.
When asked if she thought her stage school background could be the reason she’s received fewer votes than many of her competitors in the Strictly line-up, she said: “I think, potentially, that could have been a factor.
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Professional dancer Carlos then chipped in to reveal an anecdote from when he and Molly returned to her stage school to visit, a trip which was aired in her Strictly VT before one of the instances they found themselves in the bottom two.
“I went back to school with her and the teacher comes to her saying, ‘I’m surprised that you’re doing Strictly because you never danced in the school!’”
Molly went on to explain how she didn’t do a lot of dance training while she was at stage school as she was concentrating on working as an actress and on developing her singing career.
“I’ve never had any confidence in dance at school,” she said. “And the beauty of going to a theatre school meant that I could work while I was there. I did Friday Download when I was at school, CBBC and loads of different things.
“And also, because I am a singer, I was doing a lot of writing sessions on those days where we did get vocational, so I wasn’t missing out on academics, but I feel like, yeah, I feel like maybe it’s a factor,” she continued. “But I think there’s so many different levels on this show. So could it be anything.”
Meanwhile, Molly said she “definitely” wants to keep dancing once Strictly is over.
“I’d love to do something in theatre because I love to sing, I love to act, so I guess dance is that kind of final tick for that one,” she revealed.
Additional reporting by Lauren Morris.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs tonight at 7:05pm on BBC One. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
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