Ed Balls has revealed why he thinks ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ is good for politics.
This series, the former Labour MP has followed in the footsteps of Edwina Currie and Ann Widdecombe as a politician on the ‘Strictly’ line-up.
And while he hasn’t exactly been showered with praise for his performances on the dance floor (the less said about his most recent offering, the better), he’s since insisted that appearing on the show is a good idea as a politician.
Speaking about the reaction to his appearance on ‘Strictly’ on Wednesday’s ‘This Morning’, he admitted: “The thing that’s hard sometimes is when people say, ‘we knew you were a politician, but it’s great to see that you’re a human being as well’. Because politicians are human beings, they have families, they try, sometimes they make mistakes.
“And I think the reaction of some of my colleagues in Parliament is to say that it’s really good for politics, to see somebody who is out there, doing something hard and out of his comfort zone, and not mind being a bit foolish sometimes.”
He went on to discuss how losing his seat in the House Of Commons meant the way he’s viewed by the public has changed, adding: “I’m chairman of Norwich City, I’m at Harvard, I’m doing ‘Strictly’, which I wouldn’t have expected to be able to do.
“But also it’s the case, in previous years, I’d run the marathon, I’d learned to play the piano, I’d been on [‘This Morning’] talking about stammering, but actually the thing people saw was ‘politician’. And that gets in the way of everything. So maybe the prism changes a bit, and people think, ‘actually we’re seeing something different’. And I think it’s good for people to see that politicians are human beings.”
While Ed’s moves might not be quite as strong as his competitors, there’s no faulting his enthusiasm, with his performances always being among the standouts of the night (even if it’s not necessarily for the right reason).
This week, he and Katya Jones will be delivering an American Smooth to Tony Christie’s ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’, while the rest of the cast will be tackling songs by artists like Rihanna, Sam Smith and the Andrews Sisters.
‘Strictly’ returns on Saturday (22 October) at 6.35pm on BBC One.
‘This Morning’ airs every weekday on ITV from 10.30am.