For many of us who’ve spent our weekends glued to Strictly Come Dancing for the past two decades, the chance to actually get to perform in that famous ballroom is the stuff of dreams.
However, new addition Bobby Brazier has admitted he’s landed a part on this year’s line-up without having ever watched a single episode.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of This Morning, host Holly Willoughby pointed out that Bobby had never actually watched Strictly, but it sounds like that hasn’t affected his excitement.
“I’m excited that my first ever experience of Strictly is on Strictly,” the EastEnders star revealed.
When Holly questioned whether this meant Bobby was unaware of the dances he’d be performing in the weeks ahead, his professional partner Dianne Buswell said: “He knows the dance we’re [rehearsing] at the moment, but every single time I mention a dance, he’s like, ‘I’ve never heard of it’.
″[That’s] actually quite exciting for me, because I know that I’m teaching him from scratch. So... by the end of it, I’ll be like, ‘yeah, I taught him how to do that’.”
Despite not knowing anything about Strictly, Bobby said that taking part was a “no-brainer”, and he also told The Independent that there was some “begging” involved.
“My boss [EastEnders producer Chris Clenshaw] mentioned that he’d been in talks with Strictly and it was time to put someone forward,” he told the newspaper.
“So, he was checking how the storylines would work around the time, and I just said to him, ‘Let me do it. Please, please let me do it. You won’t regret it.’
“And by his grace, I’m now doing it, and I’m really, really, really, really, really, really, really grateful.”
Bobby previously confirmed to HuffPost UK that he’ll be taking a break from EastEnders while his Strictly training is ongoing, although he will be returning to the soap later down the line.
Teasing how he thinks he’ll fare in front of the Strictly panel, Bobby added: “People do actually say that I’ve got a little bit of rhythm. People can tell that I’m having a good time while I’m doing it.
“When you see someone doing something they enjoy, it’s attractive. Maybe I’m dancing in a mad, crazy way, but just feeling the music.”
Although the Independent’s journalist then asked if he’d be comparable to Ed Balls’ Gangnam Style routine, Bobby then admitted this was not a performance he was familiar with.
Bobby and his 14 fellow competitors will make their dance floor debuts in the first Strictly live show of the series on Saturday night, airing at 6.15pm on BBC One.
This Morning airs every weekday from 10am on ITV1. Read Bobby’s full interview in The Independent here.