The BBC Strictly Come Dancing 2022 series may be over but fans of the competition don't have long to wait until they get to see a little bit more of the ballroom magic back on their screens. On Christmas Day, BBC One will air a Strictly Christmas special with six celebrities and professional dancers taking part.
Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts is taking part with Giovanni Pernice, while Gavin and Stacey actor Larry Lamb is partnered with Nadiya Bychkova. Soap actress Alexandra Mardell and Kai Widdrington, Radio 1 DJ Rickie Haywood-Williams and Luba Mushtuk, podcaster Rosie Ramsey and Neil Jones, and CBeebies presenter George Webster and Amy Dowden are also all in the line-up.
Speaking ahead of the festive one-off, Nicola opened up on what it was like to train with Giovanni and she did not mince her words. While the singer said Giovanni was a "great teacher" she also said she "wanted to strangle him" during training.
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Speaking to Welsh presenter Alex Jones, Nicola said: "Gio is a great teacher. He's a perfectionist, as am I."
She continued: "The waltz is so technical and it's so different to anything I've ever done before. Like band dancing, where your audience is just at the front, you don't have to think about the technical element, like the neck position.
"I don't necessarily like the learning process because I lose concentration and Gio is very 'again, again, again.' But I was grateful because when I finally got to do the waltz I was prepared. I knew that I'd put the training in and I knew that I'd followed directions as much as I could."
She added: "And as much as during the rehearsal process I might have wanted to strangle him, I was glad that I left the ballroom I thinking I did a good job of the waltz."
Nicola also said the whole experience was "magical" as she explained: "The whole show is magical, you just walk in and it's Strictly grotto, costumes everywhere." The Masked Singer UK star also said "props to the celebrities who do it for the three months" after seeing how hard they worked during her time in the studio.
Nicola was revealed to be the fifth celebrity to take part in the Strictly Christmas special. The announced was made on Zoe Ball's Breakfast Show on Friday, December 2.
At the time of the announcement, Nicola said: "It's truly an honour to be part of Strictly, but to be invited on to the prestigious Christmas day episode is something very special indeed. They've promised me extra glitter, sparkle and frosting all wrapped up together with a big bow on top. What more could a girl wish for at Christmas!" For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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