Chris Ramsey has opened up about his fears he is this year's "comedy fodder" after discovering the Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
The 33-year-old comedian from South Shields admitted that he had been waiting for a "wally" to be announced - before realising he might be the one in the pack this year.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her ITV daytime show today, he said that he was keen to prove people wrong about his dancing abilities and that he didn't just want to be the joke act.
He said: "No offence to anyone but they always have the 'comedy fodder' - you have your Ed Balls and stuff like that. Well I get introduced as one of the first people and then I went on holiday and someone new has been introduced.
"I'm checking my phone and I'm waiting for 'the wally'. And they did the full line-up and there's no wally!
"I look at it and go, 'Am I the wally?! I think I'm the wally! Am I the idiot? Is it me?!'"
"You're the comic relief," Lorraine joked.
Chris exclaimed: "I'm the comic relief! But obviously if I fall over people will laugh so that's my job done. But I'd rather people went, 'Eh, he can do it!'"
The comedian also admitted that he was incredibly terrified ahead of his first appearance on the BBC show and was suffering from "anxiety dreams".
"I'm terrified," he told Lorraine. "I have anxiety dreams where I fall over.
"My dream is where I walk onto the dance floor and I trip on something and I fall in the dream. The moment I hit the floor I wake up in bed.
"Honestly I just need to get that first dance out of the way. I just want to get started now."
*Lorraine airs weekdays at 8.30am on ITV
