Strictly's new professional dancer Jowita Przystal has joked that she had a job on her hands trying to teach her Christmas special partner Adrian Chiles how to dance.
The Polish ballroom dancer, 27, said she had to get the former One Show host to lighten up as he confessed he was terrible.
Jowita, who will make her Strictly bow on the special, said it was a 'big challenge' to get the TV presenter to even smile during rehearsals.
She was looking to make an impression after she missed out on being paired with a celebrity for the main series and seems to have won over Adrian.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "The first day I met him he was so stressed, he told me that he can't dance and he's terrible.
"But hour by hour, I found out that actually he can dance."
The duo will be performing an American smooth to Otis Redding’s version of White Christmas.
While Jowita did sing her partner's praises, Adrian insists he won't be watching himself on the small screen come Christmas Day.
He said: "I'll go for a walk when the Strictly Christmas Special is on. I can’t stand watching myself."
Adrian also confessed that some family and friends weren't exactly supportive of his decision to hit the dance floor in front of millions.
He added: "They were absolutely horrified. Even though my mum’s a massive fan of the show, she said, ‘Oh God!’.”
However, he thinks that videos from his training may have won them over - and he had a change of heart himself after dancing with Jowita.
During his training, Adrian was forced to run out after becoming sick from all the spinning that had been included in the pair's routine.
Jowita said: "I was really worried but he got it in the end. The sickness went away, thankfully."
And it wasn't just sickness he was dealing with after he admitted that he accidentally broke wind while practising a lift manoeuvre.
He revealed to The Sun: "I quickly become overwhelmed with shame. I find it nothing less than traumatic.
"Given my significant weight advantage, this was the one bit I was confident about. Such was my enthusiasm, the first time I executed the lift I’m afraid I inadvertently broke wind very loudly."
He blamed the mishap on eating his breakfast too fast but said his dance partner simply pretended not to notice.
