Ugo Monye made his dancefloor debut on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night with two-time champion Oti Mabuse.
Ugo and Oti, who has previously won the glitterball trophy on the BBC One dance show with former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher and comedian Bill Bailey, performed the samba to the track Iko Iko by Justin Wellington ft Small Jam.
The pair received positive comments from the judges for their dance.
READ MORE:
But afterwards Ugo made an emotional admission to host Claudia Winkleman, that they had performed on the same day as his father's funeral.
The broadcaster, sports pundit and former England rugby player told Claudia: "My dad passed away a couple of weeks ago from prostate cancer, we had his funeral this morning.
"During the funeral they spoke about today being a day of celebration and that’s exactly how today felt.
"There’s no better way of celebrating than by dancing, so tonight feels really special."
Ugo previously said his "two beautiful daughters" are behind his decision to take part in Strictly 2021.
He said: “What a dream come true! Strictly is the biggest entertainment show on TV and I can’t wait to show everyone I’ve got more than just dad dancing moves.
"My two beautiful daughters never had a chance to see me on the rugby pitch, so to know they can watch me waltzing and twirling every week is really special to me.
"I love an outfit at the best of times, so bring on the sequins!”
Beginning his rugby career at Harlequins in 2002, Ugo went on to make 241 appearances for the club, scored 89 tries, won a Premiership and made his England debut in 2008.
Since retiring in 2015, Ugo has become a respected face and voice in the world of sports presenting, hosting rugby coverage for BT Sport and ITV as well as the BBC 5 Live Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
In July 2021, it was announced that Ugo would be one of the new team captains on BBC One's A Question of Sport.
He made his debut on the show earlier this month opposite Olympic gold medal-winning hockey player Sam Quek and new host Paddy McGuinness.
Ugo’s commitment to making rugby more accessible for all has seen him recently named the first-ever Chairman of England Rugby’s new Diversity and Inclusion committee.
