All who watch Strictly Come Dancing are well aware of Craig Revel Horwood's dramatic scores and harsh comments which he delivers time and time again to the BBC show's celebrity cohort taking part year in year out. But many will be less familiar with the story of how the tight-lipped professional dancer and choreographer got to where he is today nor that he was inspired by his grandfather.
On Strictly Come Dancing's spin-off show It Takes Two, hosted by former Strictly professional Janette Manrara and singer Rylan Clarke, Craig, 57, revealed his journey to the Strictly judging panel from his humble, heartbreaking, and hard-working beginnings in Ballaarat in Australia to his alter-ego in a heartwarming segment.
"I was born on the fourth of January 1965 in Australia in a little town called Ballaarat. When I think back I thought: 'Where did all of this performance and desire come from?' And I guess it can be related back to my grandfather Revel. He used to ride a penny farthing dressed as a clown. I suppose you could say I did take after him a little bit."
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Taking viewers back to his childhood he explained that he "did not fit in" and felt a "social misfit and outcast" during his youth because he didn't like sport, which was alien for a child growing up in Australia. It was only when he joined a dance community at a jazz ballet class at the Ballaarat Lyric Theatre that he thrived, finding his calling in the world of dance.
"People were telling me that I was good at it and it was the first thing that I'd ever been any good at. They were wonderful to be around. I felt like I was part of a community that understood me. And didn't judge me. Where I grew up it was not acceptable to be even slightly effeminate. I wanted to be a dancer and that was not acceptable."
Making his escape to Melbourne the theatre director continued his dance training but took on an unlikely job. He said: "I didn't have any money so I looked through the paper for any job and it said: 'Apprentice hairdresser required' so I went to the library and I got five books out by Vidal Sassoon and all sorts of people and read up on it. Went for the interview the next day and got the job so I became a hairdresser. I was still training every morning, every evening, and then hairdressing during the day."
After getting a gig as a dancer on West Side Story as a result of his training, thus ending his hairdressing days, Craig's performing career took off. But wanting more of a challenge and to perform as a soloist after some years Craig created an alter-ego called Lavish. He recalled in the VT: "I would go out and moonlight at clubs. I showed up one day in a red wig, six-inch stilettos, my trumpet, and I said: 'Do you need someone to perform?' and they said: 'Yeah'.
"I really loved it – it was great fun. But she became a little bit too popular and was starting to take over my life so in 1988 she was last seen walking up the Champs Elysees with heels in hand, darling, and she's never been seen since."
Returning to shows the 57-year-old dancing star then got a dream role in the West End show Cats in his 20s which he said was "a dream come true". He said: "It was something I only dreamt of that actually happened to me. That doesn't happen to many people." But auditioning against performers in their teens when he was almost 30 was what forced Craig to "move to the other side of the fence" and begin choreographing and directing.
Taking on shows like Crazy for You and Miss Saigon the Australian judge made his directorial-choreography debut in a brand new musical that would change his path forever and introduce him to the glittering show Strictly. He reminisced over this new show he'd taken charge of called Beautiful and Damned and said: "There were producers that had seen this poster saying: 'Oh what's that? A new musical in the West End called Beautiful and Damned? Who's in charge of it? Oh, let's ring them'. And that's how I got my job at the BBC on a new programme called Strictly Come Dancing."
He ended his anecdotal segment with some heartfelt advice to children everywhere: "The best thing that I've ever told myself as a kid was follow your dreams and never give that up. Follow your passion and you will be successful. And if you're not dust yourself off darling and try it again. Because only through failure do you find success."
Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two at 6.30pm.
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