Meet Jayde Adams: Strictly Come Dancing 2022 contestant
The comedian is dancing with Karen Hauer in the current run.
It was an emotional Strictly Come Dancing episode for Jayde Adams last week, after she brought viewers to tears with a moving performance to Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler.
The American Smooth routine, which Motsi Mabuse described as “beautiful”, was a tribute to the comedian’s sister, who died 11 years ago, as the siblings had shared a love of Midler’s music.
Adams and her professional partner Karen Hauer ended up receiving 31 points, a score which put them in seventh place on the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 leaderboard.
This week, Adams and the rest of the Strictly Come Dancing line-up will be performing routines to theme tunes and pieces of music that celebrate the BBC to mark the broadcaster’s 100th birthday.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2022 songs and dances were confirmed earlier this week, with Adams set to perform a Charleston to The Ballad of Barry and Freda (Let’s Do It) by comedy legend Victoria Wood.
It sounds like a brilliant musical choice for Jayde. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the comedy star.
Who is Jayde Adams?
Age: 37
Job: Comedian
Instagram: @msjaydeadams
Twitter: @jaydeadams
Adams is best known for her work as a stand-up comedian, which has earned her a host of awards including Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe, while her Amazon Prime special Serious Black Jumper received acclaim around the world – including a place on the Emmy longlist.
She's also had success both as an actor and a presenter, with roles on hit TV shows such as Alma’s Not Normal, The Outlaws and Good Omens, and hosting gigs on the likes of Channel 4's Snackmasters and BBC Radio 4 podcast Welcome to the Neighbourhood. She is the star and co-creator of the upcoming ITV2 sitcom Ruby Speaking and will have a role in the Take That film Greatest Days.
Jayde's Strictly journey
Scoreboard
Week 1: Samba (4+7+6+6) = 23
Week 2: Tango (6+7+6+7) = 26
Week 3: Cha cha cha (7+8+7+7) = 29
Week 4: American Smooth (7+8+8+8) = 31
Currently sitting comfortably in the middle of the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 leaderboard, Adams wowed the judges with her spicy Samba in Week 1. Fighting back tears, she said: “If I think about it too hard I’ll cry, and I don’t want to start off doing that every single week, but it’s so overwhelming. It’s amazing, I can’t believe I just did that."
Adams also paid tribute to partner Hauer, and said: "We get to do this once a week but it’s all about you, baby, this whole Strictly experience is through you and I’m so proud. It’s been a great time rehearsing with her and I love you so much – it’s brilliant."
The former Adele impersonator followed up with a Tango to Rumour Has It, before stealing the show in movie week with a Cha Cha Cha to What a Feeling from Flashdance, which even received the seal of approval from the film's star Jennifer Beals.
Things took a more emotional turn in Week 4, with a moving American Smooth dedicated to the comedian's late sister.
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What has Jayde Adams said about joining Strictly 2022?
Speaking about joining the line-up for the 2022 season, Adams commented: "Since I watched the first series in 2004, I feel like every step I’ve taken in my career over the last 11 years was to be on Strictly. I cannot begin to express the emotions I am feeling, this means so much to me and my family.
"I’ve always watched it, apart from a brief hiatus in 2011 as I was relentlessly gigging every weekend (to try and get on Strictly). I’ve been a massive fan of the show for years. I feel like I’m watching myself in a dream and I can’t believe I’ve manifested this. Holding this in has been torture for me!"
Adams recently spoke about why she chose to dance with a female partner on the series, revealing that she actually announced the choice many years ago on Twitter.
She revealed: "I said it on Twitter four years ago. I was watching the show and then I was like, 'If I was on Strictly, I'd like to be with a woman because then I could lift her.'
"Because whenever you have partnerships where you have a plus size guy, it's easy for him because he can always lift the girl. But when you have it the other way round, and you have that imbalance, it's like, you know, the guys are great but they're not rugby players."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 22nd October at 6.40pm on BBC One, with the results show following on Sunday 23rd October at 6.45pm. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
