Caroline Quentin will be forced to leave her family behind for Strictly Come Dancing – after already having been away to shoot a film.
The actress has only just come out of a Covid “bubble” after making the movie with Liz Hurley before she appears on the BBC1 show.
“The hardest thing for me is going to be not being able to see Sam, my husband, and the kids,” she revealed.
The Men Behaving Badly star, 60, said she is taking part in the contest for fellow oldies.
“We know as we get older we should be taxing ourselves. Anything that challenges the cortex, the synapses, is so good for mental wellbeing.”
And in preparation she has started doing “little bits of stretching”, including “a few sun salutations. I’ve been swimming a couple of times”.
Her acting skills might be her secret weapon. “Having showed off for a living, I’m hoping when I do more dramatic dances, I won’t be too embarrassed to really go for it,” she said.
“I’m going to try to use all that stuff to cover up for any nasty footwork, or any bad arms.”
But she said she still gets stage fright. “It really takes me quite a long time to get rid of the shakes and I can get quite nauseous. So that might be a hurdle.”
She also admitted to not handling criticism well, saying: “I’ll either fight back, run away or cry.”
Caroline knows the viewers can vote her off at any time, but said: “I’ll just enjoy myself. When they get sick of me, they’ll throw me away.
"That’s fine too. That’s showbiz.”
*Strictly returns Saturday 17th October on BBC One
