Maisie Smith is lighting up the stage in Sunderland this week as the star of Strictly Ballroom, two years on from dazzling judges and viewers alike on a certain BBC dance show.
It's been well over a decade since Maisie first burst onto our screens as little Tiffany Butcher on EastEnders, quickly becoming a firm favourite amongst fans of the long-running soap and being at the centre of some hard-hitting storylines as she got older. And, away from Albert Square, Maisie made the final of Strictly Come Dancing at the end of 2020.
Maisie delivered some sensational routines on Strictly and then had a chance to do it all again with a new partner as she was called in to replace the injured AJ Odudu on the programme's live arena tour earlier this year, before then joining forces with other stars of the show for more performances in the summer.
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And there's a real Strictly flavour to her new role, which is seeing her travel all over the country once again. As well as the show's title, Strictly Ballroom is also giving Maisie the chance to star opposite former champion pro Kevin Clifton. And, talking to ChronicleLive ahead of curtain up at Sunderland Empire, she said the role of Fran was a "dream" for her.
"Getting to sing, dance and act in the same show is an absolute dream," she said. "It was after doing the Strictly tour that I was offered the chance to be in Strictly Ballroom and it's just come at the right time for me. Getting to be on stage night after night is just amazing."
She added: "I feel so lucky to be able to be touring around the country, especially after the few years we've had and the reaction from audiences at the end of the show never gets old. It feels amazing!"
Comparing learning the script and choreography for Strictly Ballroom with rehearsing scenes on EastEnders, Maisie explained: "The two are really different. While Strictly Ballroom is live every night, we had so much time to get ready for the tour, whereas the turnaround in scripts on EastEnders is really quick, you don't actually get long to learn your lines."
Sunderland audiences have been loving Maisie so far, with her being described as a 'quadruple threat,' and another fan tweeting: "After a 3 year wait we finally got to see strictly ballroom I knew @keviclifton could dance but what about @maisie _smith_ stunning voice who knew."
*Strictly Ballroom is on at Sunderland Empire until Saturday, October 15
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