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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tina Campbell

Strictly’s Tyler West wants soap cameo opposite EastEnders girlfriend Molly Rainford

Tyler West has been embracing opportunities that have come his way since appearing on Strictly Come Dancing last year, but there’s one thing he’s still holding out for – a cameo in EastEnders.

The KISS DJ, 27, is a long-time fan of the BBC soap and has a personal link to the series, as his girlfriend Molly Rainford joined the cast in June as the spoilt Anna Knight.

The South London native relishes getting to help Rainford run through her lines and particularly loves getting to act out the ones by Collin Salmon, who plays her dad George Knight.

He also has no shame admitting that he gets “starstruck” when picking her from Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, where EastEnders is filmed, and has even made getting up to watch the show first thing in the morning part of his daily routine.

Asked about the chances of him popping up in the Queen Vic one day, West can already see himself there.

Tyler West’s girlfriendMolly Rainford joined EastEnders as Anna Knight in June (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

“I would love to! I would be all over it!” he told the Standard backstage at KISSTORY On Blackheath.

“EastEnders is something that me and my family have always watched, like, my whole family as well, my nana, everybody, so for it to become such a real thing for me is mad! To go behind the scenes and to pick her up from work, I get starstruck every day!”

However, asking him about spoilers proves not to be fruitful.

“Mols is so secretive about it,” he laughs. “Sometimes I help her with her lines, but I don’t know anything that’s going on, none of it makes any sense to me.

“She’s amazing at what she does and in all honest, even though I talk for a living, I don’t know how she does what she does. I’d love to act one day, but I tell you what, she is on another level with it and she has settled in nicely at EastEnders.”

Since Strictly, West has found himself a man in demand with various TV, radio and DJing offers flooding in, plus he has been busy working on his own music which he calls “very exciting”.

He’s also set to host this year’s KISS Haunted House Party, which is taking place in Liverpool on October 28 and will see the likes of Becky Hill, Flo, Rudimental and Zara Larsson take to the stage.

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