STRICTLY’S Kelvin Fletcher will be an emotional wreck when he takes to the floor at Blackpool’s iconic Tower Ballroom on Saturday night.
The actor, who already battles with nerves before every show, says Blackpool will be especially poignant for him as it is a reminder of his childhood - and how far he has come.
The 35-year-old former Emmerdale actor says: “It’s made the hairs go up on my neck just thinking about it.”
For many of the stars in the BBC’s flagship show, reaching Blackpool’s lives show is the last major milestone before all eyes turn to the final.
But for the Oldham-born actor it will remind him of a time when his family could not afford to go abroad.
“Before the dawn of budget airlines, you couldn’t think of going to Spain, it was just too expensive,” he explains. “We would go to Blackpool for our holidays.
“So the Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens, that’s all very much part of my childhood. I just remember it as an amazing resort, absolutely buzzing.
“I’ve been to the ballroom on a Friday afternoon, there might have been a few couples getting up and doing a little dance, you’d sit there, have your cup of tea, and random people would just get up. I just remember thinking how stunning it was inside.
“I think it will be really weird to walk out there in a completely different stage of my life, as an adult. It feels really special for me because Blackpool was a huge part of my childhood.” Kelvin’s had a roller coaster of a ride on the show so far.
Drafted in with just two weeks notice the actor and racing driver had to replace Made In Chelsea’s Jamie Laing after he was ruled out through injury.
Kelvin’s debut dance with professional Oti Mabuse, 29, earned him an incredible 32 points from the judges and made him the bookies favourite to take home the glitterball trophy.
But while his racy routines have set the dance floor alight, behind the scenes Kelvin’s been fighting a weekly crisis of confidence. He says: “You’ve danced on Saturday, you’ve got through on Sunday, you’re feeling great on Monday morning and then you’re back to square one.
“You can’t dance, you’re doing this wrong step or that wrong step, it’s like, ‘S**t!’. Your confidence is kind of all over the place. I feel completely crushed.”
Before each performance, Kelvin calls on his acting skills to cover up his last-minute nerves.
He adds: “I really feel like I’m utilising my skills as an actor because I feel completely sick. I even manage to fool my mum. I always call her as soon as I come off and she’s like, ‘You were brilliant, you looked great!’ and I’m like, ‘Mum, I felt like crying for five minutes before, I was so nervous.”
Dare Kelvin dream of what happens if they make it through Saturday and head for the final?
“You have to take it week by week. There have been a few shocks lately, so you just have to give the best you can and hope you make it through.”
* Strictly Come Dancing , BBC 1, Saturday, 7:05pm.
