Yahoo Finance Jamie Laing thinks he was in first 'Strictly' dance off because viewers saw him as 'posh blond idiot'
Jamie Laing has been no stranger to the dance off in his time on Strictly Come Dancing and the McVities heir thinks he knows why - because viewers saw him as a ‘posh blond idiot’.
The Made in Chelsea reality star, whose great-grandfather founded McVities biscuits, admitted that his first impression may have been a little too much for Strictly viewers who landed him in the series’ first dance off.
He told The Daily Mail: “I went into Strictly thinking, ‘this is going to be amazing, I'm going to reach the final, I'm going to win it, it's going to be great’, and then I was in the dance off the first week and I was like, ‘well this is going to be a very short-lived fairytale’.”
Where's the Glitterball emoji when you need one?! Jamie and Karen's Salsa really got the party started! ✨🕺 #Strictly@JamieLaing_UK @karen_hauer pic.twitter.com/ZZjKfTCUcV
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) December 12, 2020
Laing, who has survived three dance offs, said: “Lots of people saw what they thought was just a posh blond idiot coming on their TV. They probably thought, ‘we're not going to vote for him’.”
But he added: “I think what's great about the show is that it has changed, hopefully, people's perception a little bit, and they just see that I'm actually maybe quite a kind boy and that's a good thing.”
Laing, who said that “hardcore Strictly fans” may have been put off by his excitable nature, was originally supposed to partner Oti Mabuse last series, but had to drop out after getting injured in the launch show.
Mabuse went on to win the 2019 series with stand-in Kelvin Fletcher, while Laing has returned this year as Karen Hauer’s partner.
He said that despite his foot injury and disappointment last year, he was glad of the way things had turned out because he thought that Hauer was such a good match for him.
The TV star also added that he thought it was incredible to be able to put on the show during a pandemic.
Laing is up against Maisie Smith, HRVY, Bill Bailey and Ranvir Singh in this weekend’s Strictly semi-final and is hoping to make next week’s final, although he admitted “I’m definitely not the best dancer”.
Watch: Craig Revel Horwood talks COVID and Strictly
