Entertaining listeners comes as second nature to radio DJ Clara Amfo – but dancing in front of the nation on Saturday-night TV is a different feat altogether.
The star nervously made her Strictly Come Dancing debut in October to a mixed response from the judges, coming in fifth place on the leaderboard after Craig Revel Horwood described her cha-cha-cha as “stompy”. In her second week, she suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction and came in seventh place.
But the criticism has only made her more determined to succeed – and professional dance partner Aljaž Škorjanec has been doing everything in his power to make sure she remains in the competition.
Speaking to Closer ahead of last Saturday’s performance, Clara, 36, says, “Aljaž is the best ever. He’s really fun, but strict in the sense that he will never leave the room until I get it perfect.
“If there’s an eight count of something, and I do it correctly at seven, he’ll go, ‘No, start again’. He’s a perfectionist because he wants me to do well. It’s all done with love!”
While Strictly is always a challenge – on both a mental and physical level – this year is harder than ever, thanks to the show’s strict coronavirus measures. The dance couples have been forced to form a support bubble to limit contact with other people, with one half of each pair living alone while the other half can remain with their household.
For Aljaž, 30, it’s even more frustrating as he’s having to isolate separately from his dancer wife Janette Manrara, 36 – who has been paired with HRVY on the show.
Check out: Strictly Come Dancing affairs
Strictly Come Dancing Affairs That Gave Us The Shock of Our Lives - slider use this one
1 of 15Check out all the relationships hit by the Strictly Come Dancing curse...
2 of 151. Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole
Strictly's Camilla Dallerup revealed she suffered a 'mini death' when her fiancé Brendan Cole reportedly left her in 2004 for his Strictly dance partner Natasha Kaplinsky. Natasha and Brendan never confirmed they were romantically involved. Natasha said: "There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan."The pair have since married other people, whilst Camilla married former Hollyoaks star Kevin Sacre in 2010.
3 of 152. Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff
Just one week into his stint on Strictly in 2009 and Joe Calzaghe split with his girlfriend of five years, Jo-Emma Larvin. It wasn't long before the boxer and his professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff embarked on a romance. Unfortunately it wasn't to last and they split four years later.
4 of 153. Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Following his 2013 stint on the show, rugby star Ben Cohen revealed he'd split from wife of 11-years Abby. He was then forced to deny he was romantically involved with former partner Kristina Rhianoff, after the pair were spotted linking arms on a London tube train.Ben and Kristina have since started a relationship and the pair welcomed their first child together in 2016.
5 of 154. Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace
Things must have been awkward backstage at Strictly in 2007 when Flavia Cacace reportedly dumped her long-term dance partner and boyfriend of eight-years, Vincent Simone, for Eastenders actor Matt Di Angelo.At the time the actor told the Daily Mail: "The funny thing was the story did not start off as true, but the more you read it, the more you started to believe it and actually act on it."However, Flavia split from Matt in 2010 and went on to wed actor Jimi Mistry (who she met whilst partnered together on Strictly in 2010) in December 2013.
6 of 155. Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna
Former Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian and her dance partner, Brian Fortuna, got together in 2009 after starring together on the show - but split a year later.
7 of 156. Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
Rachel Riley surprised everyone when she revealed she was splitting from husband of just 15-months Jamie Gilbert during her time on Strictly in 2013. Less than a year later, the Countdown star announced she was dating her Strictly partner Pasha Kovalev - but insisted there was no overlap between the two romances.
8 of 157. Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
Kara Tointon not only bagged the Strictly glitter ball in 2010 but also a hunky new boyfriend when she embarked on a romance with her Strictly partner Artem Chigvintsev.However, after three years of being together the pair split, and the former EastEnders actress told The Telegraph: "We are not together. We're fine, but we aren't a couple anymore."
9 of 158. Georgia May Foote and Sean Ward
When Georgia entered the competition in 2015 she was dating her Coronation Street co-star, Sean Ward. At the time she reassured everyone that she was in a happy relationship and she was just good friends with her dance partner Giovanni.However, shortly after the competition finished she ended her relationship with Sean and started a relationship with Giovanni.Unfortunately Georgia and Giovanni split before series 14 started. The former Coronation Street actress announced the news on Twitter, writing: "It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved."Although it was not an easy decision to make sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times."We both have very busy work schedules for the rest of the year so we are both going to focus on our upcoming work projects and we wish each other well for the future."
10 of 159. Helen George and Oliver Boot
Helen George appeared on Strictly in 2015 and split from her husband Oliver Boot of three years. Were they hit by the Strictly curse?
11 of 1510. Susanna Reid Dominic Cotton
Susanna Reid featured on Strictly during series 11. After the show finished, Susanna and her partner Dominic Cotton split.The TV presenter denied the end of their relationship being related to the Strictly curse, she told the Daily Mirror: "I think people think Strictly was bound in what happened. It wasn't."Obviously things have been challenging in my personal life but we are getting things sorted."
12 of 1511. Louise and Jamie Redknapp
The whole world was shocked in 2017 when Louise and Jamie Redknapp confirmed they were divorcing after 19 years of marriage.The news came just months after she competed in Strictly Come Dancing 2016 alongside her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton.
13 of 1512. Karen and Kevin Clifton
After months of speculation Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen and Kevin Clifton confirmed they'd split.Despite breaking up they've insisted they'll remain friends. During Chris Evans' breakfast show, Kevin explained: "Privately we are not together anymore but professionally we are stronger than ever before. Dance is how we came together and is what glues us together."We're still the best of friends – we still have a lot of love and respect for each other. What we've found is that since we've been honest with each other it's unlocked our creativity."Karen added: "We have such strong chemistry and it's about entertaining and inspiring. At the end of the day it's about giving back to fans. We're feeling very positive."
14 of 1513. Katya Jones and Seann Walsh
Everyone was shocked when photos of Seann Walsh and his professional dance partner Katya Jones were pictured together KISSING on the streets of London.While Katya is married to fellow Strictly professional Neil Jones, Sean is dating actress Rebecca Humphries.Since the news of the affair came to light, they've both apologised and blamed it as a "drunken mistake".
15 of 1514. Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
Stacey Dooley caused controversy when she went public with her romance with her dance partner Kevin Clifton. In March, Stacey and her ex-boyfriend Sam Tucknott split, with reports suggesting Sam was paranoid about Stacey's relationship with Kevin, after finding secret messages between the two on Stacey's phone. AWKWARD.
Aljaž and Janette see each other around the studio, but have to keep a distance. Thankfully, the power of technology is making life a little bit easier for the couple. He explains, “We’re coping quite well. Rehearsing every day helps. But it’s such a small sacrifice to make to put on this amazing show, and it’s worth it.
“We’re both really happy and supporting each other the best we can – that’s the most important thing. I’ve bought myself a separate phone for FaceTime so we can constantly stay in touch with each other!”
Despite being a keen runner and gym-goer, Clara admits the gruelling training schedule has been a “shock to the system” and that she’s just about found her feet – quite literally. She says, “I knew I was going to work hard, but I didn’t know I was going to work this hard!
“It’s been a shock to the system and my feet have definitely taken a battering. I’m a trainers girl, so rehearsing over and over in a dancer’s heel is quite something. The first three days I was like, ‘Jesus, no. I don’t know if I can handle it any more.’ But I think I’ve pushed through and broken the pain barrier.”
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And on a mental level, performing in front of the nation each week is something Clara is coming to terms with, too. She says, “This is so different from radio. When I’m at work, no one’s watching me. Even though I’m exposed to millions of people, they can’t see me – it’s just me and my producer.
“Dancing is very exposing. You’re trying to move your limbs in a rhythmic fashion in front of millions of viewers at home, and then you’ve got to be judged in front of those people. It’s a lot.”
Nerves aside, Clara is making the most of being outside of her comfort zone – as well as taking advantage of the show’s sequins and sparkles. She says, “You can’t come on Strictly and be a wallflower. The show is great at appealing to everybody’s inner show-off. You’ve got to surrender to it fully. You can’t come on here and be like, ‘Oh my God, don’t put those sequins near me!’ I know what I signed up to. You just have to go for it!”
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