David James has described how the weirdest thing he has done on Strictly Come Dancing left him feeling "like a band member out of The Cure".
The former England goalkeeper has stepped onto the ballroom for this years show, and partners two-time world champion Nadiya Bychkova.
They found themselves in the bottom two last Saturday, despite James donning a Batman-style outfit for their dance in movie week.
Fortunately the pair progressed to the next round via the dance off, but James was baffled by his bizarre evening.
When asked what the weirdest thing he had done on Strictly so far was, James said: "Other than wearing a football kit to do ballroom?
"I didn’t think I’d be wearing a football kit for my first dance. But I think the Batman thing, flying down onto the dance floor, then having to do the dance afterwards, that felt a bit weird.
"Obviously on a live show, in costume, loads of make-up. For two days afterwards I had black eyeliner on. I looked like I was a band member of the Cure."
James and Bychkova beat TV presenter Anneka Rice and dance partner Kevin Clifton to survive for this weeks show.
The 49-year-old admitted to losing a stone-and-a-half in weight since starting the series, after committing to gruelling 11-hour days.
After some initial criticism from judge Craig Revel Horwood, James appeared to win him over this week with an improved performance.
When discussing judge Shirley Ballas, James likened her to Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, and said of Revel Horwood: "I’ll call him Harry Redknapp. I love both managers so that’s a compliment."
He added that Bruno Tonioli's "pure emotion" reminded him of his former West Ham teammate Paolo di Canio, while Motsi Mabuse's "elegance" was like ex-Portsmouth player Nwankwo Kanu.
James named ex-England star Wayne Rooney as the worst dancer among his footballer friends, and former Bolton midfielder Jay Jay Okocha as the best.
James is working as an ambassador for the Safer Gambling campaign - Bet Regret.
He said: "This isn’t an anti-gambling campaign. It’s just about making punters more aware of the risks of impulsive gambling.
"It’s not even about whether the bet wins or loses. It’s about that actual bet that you regret.
"We want to make people aware that this is impulsive gambling and shouldn’t be done."
David James has teamed up with GambleAware and the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) as an ambassador for the Safer Gambling campaign – Bet Regret. For more information visit: https://www.begambleaware.org/betregret/
