Ainsley Harriott is finding ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ rehearsals painful.
The celebrity chef – who is partnered with dance professional Natalie Lowe on the show – has admitted he’s finding it hard-going because the intense training means his muscles are always aching.
He explained: "My legs absolutely ache. Five or six hours in that studio … oof.
"I wouldn’t say it’s killing me but I’m waking up muscles that I didn’t know existed. It’s wonderful because at the end of it there’s a little bit of a reward, you can think, ‘I can dance!’"
The pair landed themselves in the bottom two last weekend after the 58-year-old star’s performance failed to impress the judges and Natalie confessed it was "disheartening" because they’ve been working so hard.
She said: "It’s awful because you think you’re actually doing all right because there’s such a huge progression from the beginning of the week to that Saturday and then you think ‘Well done!’ and then you get that red light on you. And you think, ‘Oh my gosh, are we not doing enough? Could we do more?’ And you don’t want to let the viewers down who have been voting for you so it’s really disheartening, but you pick yourself back up."
But Ainsley believes he has a slight edge over some of the other dancers who are more technically advanced because he has such "flair" on the dancefloor.
Asked if he thinks he could win, he told BBC Radio 1: "I think it’s difficult for me to answer. I’ve really got to do my best all the time, I’m going to give it my best shot. But I think that what I have noticed over the years of watching ‘Strictly’ is that it’s not necessarily those that have the technical ability, you’ve got to have a bit of flair too."
Ainsley Harriott finding Strictly Come Dancing painful
