Nick Robinson: I predicted the rise and rise of Strictly star Ed Balls
Watch the Today presenter say last year that the public will love Ed Balls when they get to know him properly…
Today presenter Nick Robinson needs to get some deserved credit for predicting the rise and rise of Strictly Come Dancing’s Ed Balls.
For it was Robinson who spoke live on BBC1 about the former Shadow Chancellor within seconds of him losing his seat in last year’s general election.
As you can see in the clip below, Robinson suggested that Balls’ “Portillo moment” would end up with the public seeing Balls in a different light once he was out of politics - just as we now all warm to TV’s Michael Portillo who also lost his seat in a shock result in 1997.
Robinson said at the time that “there is a side to Ed Balls that the public has never got” and spoke warmly of the “marathon running, football playing passionate family man”.
You can see Robinson delivering his prediction at 9 minutes 16 seconds in:
And he was spot on.
“Strictly is bringing my prediction true,” Robinson now tells RadioTimes.com with a smile.
