“Scott Maslen told me I was going to lose a lot of weight so keep eating!” Smith – one of 12 celebrities in this year's Strictly Come Dancing line-up – told RadioTimes.com and other press.
Speaking about her other EastEnders friends, she added: “They’re just so excited. They’ve all said this is the most amazing experience.”
Smith continued: “They’ve all said it’s the most amazing but it really took it out of them. They said be prepared for the long days. And, you know what, I’m looking forward to it; it’ll be something different. In lockdown, I wasn’t doing anything, so it’s a nice change.”
Smith, who played Tiffany Butcher in the BBC soap, is the latest in a long line of EastEnders actors to take on the contest. These include winners Jill Halfpenny and Kara Tointon, alongside runner-up Matt Di Angelo.
Maslen competed in the 2010 series and finished in fourth place with former Strictly Come Dancing pro Natalie Lowe.
To live up to her co-stars, Smith says she’s been extensively physically preparing for the contest. “As soon as the gyms opened back up, I knew I was doing Strictly,” she said.
“I have literally gone every single day just to prepare me because I know how hard it was going to be and I want to be fit enough to actually be prepared.”
Revealing she aimed to reach at least week three of the contest, Smith added that she hoped to be able to perform a Cha Cha on the Strictly stage.
“I’ve got hips for days and I’m not going to lie, I felt I was really in my comfort zone there,” she said, referring to her Children in Need Strictly Special performance with Kevin Clifton. “So if there was one dance I’m really looking forward to it was that one.”
Addition reporting by Grace Henry.
Strictly Come Dancing live shows starts on BBC One on October 24th. To find out what else is on in the meantime, check out our TV Guide.
