Meet Strictly Come Dancing couple Daniel O'Donnell and Kristina Rihanoff
“There’s no view from the valley" says the Irish singer ahead of the new series
Daniel O’Donnell melodious voice may have made him a sensation in his native Ireland, but that doesn’t mean he’s a soft touch. He predicts competing in Strictly Come Dancing is going to bring out his competitive side.
“There’s a competitive edge there,” he told Radio Times while behind the scenes at a special cover shoot for the new series. “When I play golf I want to be on top.”
“There’s no view from the valley, you need to be at the top of the hill to see the next hill.”
His professional partner Kristina Rihanoff is already eying up the battlefield. “I think Daniel’s strength will be ballroom,” she explained. “I just taught him a few things about the ballroom frame and he was housing it very well, so he’s going to be the king of the ballroom.”
It’s very early days, but she is cautiously optimistic about their chances: “We’ll try to go as far as we can and hopefully the fans will support us. But it’s my eighth year on the show, I’ve been twice to the finals, and every journey is so different with everyone. There’s no formula to how far you get.”
Daniel is ready.
“I have an appointment tomorrow morning with a personal trainer,” he told us, “for the first time ever.”
⬆ Watch the rest of our exclusive interview above ⬆
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 at 9:00pm on Friday 25th September
