Ed Balls has admitted he is “scared to death” as the BBC confirmed he is to appear in the next series of Strictly Come Dancing.
He said the terror of learning to dance in front of millions of viewers made speaking in parliament seem like a “piece of cake” by comparison.
“I’d like to say I’m just really excited about learning to dance on TV, but the truth is I’m also scared to death,” he said. “Hopefully I can stick around for a couple of weeks, and have a lot of fun in the process. Making a speech in parliament seems a piece of cake compared to this.”
Balls is the first male politician to appear in the hit BBC series, although former business minister Vince Cable once strutted his stuff in a Christmas special, while female political participants have included Ann Widdecombe and Edwina Currie.
The BBC officially announced Balls’s widely speculated participation on Chris Evans’s Radio 2 breakfast show and on Twitter with the two-word post “Ed Balls”.
Ed Balls
— BBC Strictly (@bbcstrictly) August 8, 2016
The tweet was a reference to the post the MP accidentally made of his own name in 2011.
The post has been retweeted more than 77,000 times and liked 45,000 times and the 28 April, the day of the Twitter gaffe, now a semi-official Ed Balls day.
Ed Balls
— Ed Balls (@edballs) April 28, 2011
Balls said that despite his trepidation at appearing on the hit show he is excited at having been asked to appear.
“Strictly is a firm favourite in our living room, and it feels like a dream to be going on myself, especially for Len’s last series,” he said, referring to outgoing judge Len Goodman. “I’m just hoping it doesn’t turn into a nightmare too quickly.”
Balls has appeared on the Great Sport Relief Bake Off, a charity spin-off of hit BBC show The Great British Bake Off.
Widdecombe, the self-confessed “dancing elephant” who survived an unlikely 10 weeks in 2010 after becoming a favourite in the public vote, said Balls may well get a hard time from the judges.
“Ed can expect the judges to be exceptionally rude,” she said. “I was the first politician ever on the show and they knew they could be as rude to me as they liked. His years at Westminster will have prepared him well for the lightning response and the classic putdown. He will simply think of the judges’ table as the dispatch box and go into overdrive.”
Widdecombe, who was finally ousted after managing a mere 14 out of 40 for an American Smooth routine inspired by the musical Hello Dolly!, quipped that Balls’s political nous could also be an advantage on the dancefloor.
“Ed will find his Westminster background an advantage on Strictly,” she said. “He will have to think about every move, show some nifty footwork and sell himself to the public – but only he can decide whether he wants to try dancing seriously.”
Balls will have to knuckle down if he wants to take the title of best male politician to appear on the hit BBC1 show.
Cable and partner Erin Boag scored an impressive 36 out of 40 performing the foxtrot in the 2010 Christmas Special.
The long-time ballroom dancing fan went on to enter the British National Dance Championships last November.
Mambos of parliament
Edwina Currie
The former Conservative MP appeared on Strictly in 2011. She celebrated completing her first dance, a foxtrot, by lying on the floor and waggling her legs in delight, but viewers were less thrilled by her performance and she was duly eliminated.
Ann Widdecombe
The former MP for Maidstone was a contestant in 2010, when she was partnered with the professional dancer Anton du Beke. The comedy element in her dance routines made her an unlikely hit, and she kept her place in the competition until week 10.
Vince Cable
The former business secretary took part in the Strictly Christmas special in 2010 after previously admitting to having a “serious ambition” to appear on the ballroom dancing programme. He did not win, but was awarded an impressive 36 out of 40 for his fancy footwork with professional Erin Boag.
