Strictly Come Dancing fans have expressed their surprise at pro dancer Kai Widdrington's dad being a famous footballing star.
Irish dancer Kai is having a great first year on the BBC show, with him and celebrity partner AJ Odudu consistently finishing near the top of the leaderboard and now overtaking other couples to be second favourite to lift the Glitterball trophy next month.
Kai and AJ, who are both single, have also fuelled romance rumours, with sources claiming that their chemistry on the dancefloor has led to them becoming an item away from the cameras.
The pair topped the Strictly standings at the weekend after their fantastic Charleston scored 39 out of 40.
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And, someone who was in the audience to see Kai and AJ come within a whisker of a near perfect score was Kai's dad, Tommy Widdrington, with host Claudia Winkleman joking: "All your dad said was 'when do I get a mention?''"
Football fans instantly recognised Newcastle born footballer turned coach Tommy. While he never played for United, Tommy, now 50, started his career at the famous Wallsend Boys' Club, the same side Magpies legend Alan Shearer played for.
He then earned a professional contract at Southampton, where he played alongside Shearer and Matt Le Tissier, before being snapped up by Grimsby for a then club record fee of £300,000 in 1996.
Tommy also played for Port Vale and Hartlepool before moving into coaching with the likes of Salisbury City and Southend United and being caretaker manager of Bristol Rovers, where is now a Director.
Recognising him on screen, one Strictly viewer tweeted: "So is Kai Tommy Widdrington's son?" with another posting: "So Kai”s dad is ex Southampton player Tommy Widdrington.
While former Latin world champion and Dancing with the Stars Ireland pro Kai chose dancing over football, his younger brother Theo has followed in dad Tommy's footsteps and has played for Bristol Rovers.
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