NTAs: Strictly Come Dancing 'sense of family' is key to its success

Virgin Radio

6 Sep 2023, 12:41

After the team for Strictly Come Dancing won the Talent Show award at the NTAs, the sizeable cast put their success down to a 'sense of family'.

Speaking to virginradio.co.uk and other press from the winners room of the National Television Awards last night, Tuesday 5th September, the excited ensemble talked about the special bonds that working on the toe tapping show forms and how it's probably the reason for their award.

Runner up from last year's show and soon to be Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host Fleur East open up backstage on the key to the show lasting for as long as it has: "You know, I think it's the sense of family.

"I think there's a real sense of passion and love and heart at the centre of it. And I think seeing celebs try and learn a new skill and fail it's quite fun as well. So I think yeah, long may it continue. It's an incredible show."

Expanding on what other qualities the show has that make it a shoe shuffling success, Fleur professional partner from last year, Vito Coppola, added : "Because nothing is pre prepared, everything is very spontaneous and transparent and people feel that even though we are in the TV, but people who watch us they feel like we are with them, in the living room, so they feel as very close."

He then continued to say that the audience is as much a part of the show adding: "We are all like a big family with the country."

Other professionals then chipped in their two pence on why the show keeps drawing an audience year upon year, but also on how it can still feel so fun after all this time.

This included professional Kai Widdrington who despite being eliminated in the first round, with partner and Loose Women panelist Kaye Adams, always manages to help the celebrities look on the brighter side of the experience.

His advice is fairly simple but useful for any celebs joining this year, which includes Angela Scanlon, he said: "Enjoy this experience, because we're only gonna get to do it once. And yeah, you can't you can't take it too seriously. A lot of times, that's what we're trying to say. You lot need to enjoy it because sometimes people take it too seriously. And they go 'Oh, I wish I did,'."

Last year's winner Hamza Yassin also spoke exclusively to virginradio.co.uk about Dame Judi Dench's appearance on Countryfile.

Talking about appearing alongside one of Britain's greatest ever actresses, the Countryfile star told us: “She puts you at ease. So, I'm nervous meeting one of my idols, and then she just goes, ‘Hey, Hamza, how are you doing? Can you hold me, I feel a bit unsteady on my feet’. 

“She's like my grandmother, that's how much she means to me. And yeah, it was an absolute pleasure to work with her.” 

Check out all the winners at the National Television Awards in our full round-up.