He hasn't even done his first Paso Doble in a tight outfit yet, but EastEnders star James Bye has already been labelled the hunk of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
But sorry ladies - Martin Fowler actor James only has eyes for one woman, his wife of 10 years Victoria, with the pair planning to renew their vows in a romantic ceremony next year.
"We weren't really able to organise anything for our landmark wedding anniversary this year because of schedules," says James, who has been paired up with professional Amy Dowden.
"But at the beginning of next year we are going to take the family out to where Victoria and I had our honeymoon and we are going to renew our vows on the beach in front of everybody. We're really looking forward to that."
And James and Victoria's strong relationship means they don't have any worries about the infamous Strictly curse. James, 38, says: "It's not really come up for us. It's one of those things attached to the show but being a part of it, I genuinely don't see any of that."
In fact, it was writer Victoria who James got the green light from when he was first approached to take part in the BBC One dancing competition.
The pair are parents to their three boys Edward, eight, Louis, six, and Hugo, three, and James wanted the family to be happy before he said yes to Strictly bosses.
"I knew what a big commitment doing Strictly would be, it's an exhausting show and takes up a lot of time," says James.
"I'm a massive family man, and both Victoria and I pride ourselves on putting our family first at all times so before I even contemplated it I wanted to speak to her first.
"We discussed it for a couple of weeks before I said yes because it was important to us for everything to be in place in case I was away from the family for a long time.
"Our parents are a fantastic support network and they've been helping out. At the moment, it's all going well and Victoria is so proud of me."
While Hugo is still a bit too young to watch his dad on telly, James says Edward and Louis will be allowed to stay up later to see him in action.
"They're really excited - and supportive in their own way, which to them is basically pointing and laughing at me," says James.
"My goal is for them to watch it for a couple of weeks and see that Daddy is getting better. One of the reasons I said yes is so that they could see that if you put in the hours and work hard you can achieve something - Strictly is basically a glorified parenting technique."
Despite saying he isn't a natural hoofer James has reportedly been impressing in rehearsals, and there could be a second Strictly win for EastEnders following his former co-star Rose Ayling-Ellis ' triumph last year.
But when asked how it feels to be emerging as a dark horse who could take the Strictly crown, humble James just laughs and says that it’s a massive compliment.
He adds: "I don't personally see that myself, but that's given me the final burst of confidence I need - I'll remember that right before I go out tonight.
"I did get emotional watching Rose last year, but I think viewers will be more crying with laughter when it comes to me.
"At the moment, I know the nerves for my first performance are in the post but I am just so looking forward to it after two weeks of working really hard to bring the dance to the best it can be."
With no formal dance training whatsoever, it has taken a lot of effort for James to perfect his moves. "Before taking part in Strictly, I thought a chassé was something salt came in," he says, laughing.
"The first day or two in the studio wasn’t a pretty sight. I was just flat-footed, marching around with my head down and shoulders forward. I looked like Lurch!
"I also didn't realise Amy was tough until I started rehearsals, I thought she was all sweet and innocent, so it was a bit of a shock.
"But she's very fair with her criticism and gets the best out of me. Amy got me from a place where I don't really know what I’m doing to really enjoying it and now when I look in the mirror I do look like somebody who is a dancer rather than a big lump just moving about the place."
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Last time he attempted a dance on screen, James ended up out of action with a knee injury. "I was doing a big group dance for Comic Relief in 2018 with some of the other EastEnders cast members and I ended up rupturing my meniscus," he recalls.
"I needed to have surgery, so when I started rehearsals I didn't have the fondest memories of dance. Luckily, my knee hasn’t caused me any niggles with training.
"What is killing me is my groin area and the inside of my legs, because the dance we are doing requires non-stop kicking and bouncing, and my body has never been through anything like that before."
James has been in group rehearsals with some of the other celebrities taking part including singers Fleur East and Matt Goss, broadcaster Helen Skelton and actor Will Mellor.
But while James says he was impressed with their performances, his only rival will be himself. "My main competition is me. I'm the one who could trip up or mess up the dance steps, so my own rival will be me potentially getting in my own way."
James grew up in Basingstoke and had his first TV appearance in The Bill in 2006. In 2014, he was cast as Martin Fowler in EastEnders, replacing James Alexandrou.
Over the years several EastEnders stars have swapped Walford for the Waltz, including Scott Maslen, Jake Wood and Davood Ghadami, and they've been on hand to give James advice for his stint.
"What I love about being on EastEnders is that we are like a family, and every single person who has done Strictly since I’ve been there has got me in the corridor or given me a ring to ask me how it’s all going," says James.
"The unanimous advice I've got has been to enjoy every second. They've all said, 'Don't let a minute go by without realising what you're doing because by the time you do realise you're on Strictly it's gone as it’s such a quick process.
"They've said to not waste time worrying about little things, so I've been trying to have a giggle and bring some fun to rehearsals. Hopefully if I can hold on to that feeling throughout my journey in the competition it'll go well."
Whatever happens with his performance tomorrow, James says even just taking part in Strictly is a massive honour.
"The show has become part of life for us Brits and without it people would go nuts,” says James. “It brightens up everyone’s end of the year and it’s become so iconic. So for me to feel part of that is just incredible. I’m very proud to be part of it."
Strictly Come Dancing's live shows start tomorrow night (September 24) from 6.45pm on BBC One.
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