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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Eve Rowlands

BBC Strictly pro Nancy Xu 'gets angry' during rehearsals as Will Mellor tells her where she's going wrong

Actor Will Mellor and his professional dance partner Nancy Xu are set to take to the dancefloor on Friday, December 2 to perform a foxtrot to Sun and Moon from Miss Saigon as part of Strictly Come Dancing's musicals week. It's on BBC One a day earlier than its usual Saturday night slot this week, read more on that here.

During the latest episode of the dance show's spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two on BBC Two on Thursday, December 2, the pair spoke to co-host and former Strictly pro Janette Manrara about their high-scoring charleston last weekend and revealed the embarrassing moment during rehearsals when Nancy was "told off" by a BBC choreographer behind the scenes.

During the segment, the pair discussed how rehearsals for the fast-paced dance hadn't only been a challenge for Will but for Nancy too as the soap star revealed that the pro dancer, 31, had grown "angry at herself" for not being able to do the steps and joked that she was told by one of the show's choreographers she needed to take a lesson from her celebrity partner.

Read more: Gavin & Stacey star says 'Christmas has come early' as he joins Strictly special line-up

Will, 46, laughed and told the presenter: "There were a few moments where Jenny, the choreographer, went 'just watch what Will is doing!' And I went 'Hey! Hey!' I said to her 'I'll film it and I'll show you where you're going wrong then.' Because usually she's got the whip out going: 'Do it again!'"

Will Mellor (BBC)
Will Mellor and Nancy Xu performing their charleston on Saturday night (PA)

He added, giggling: "It's true though, isn't it? She was getting angry at herself and I was like: 'Yeah! The shoe's on the other foot!'"

Later in the segment, Janette raised a picture Will had shared earlier in the week which showed him sporting short shorts with knee supports on both his legs and asked him how his knees were - to which he revealed he 'shouldn't be doing what I'm doing'.

He said: "They're knackered. I'm getting on, aren't I? I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing but... I was always a bit afraid of whether I'd get through the competition with my knees the way they are with football injuries and operations. But the team, the physio team, have really looked after me and I've protected them as much as I could and I've gone alright. And they're holding up. I just posted that cause people think it's glamorous and it's not behind the scenes!"

Strictly Come Dancing will air on BBC One on Friday, December 2 at 8pm.

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