Shane Richie will put a £50 bet on Chucky Venn to win ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ after he was wowed by his moves on the ‘EastEnders’ set.
The 54-year-old actor was so impressed with 45-year-old star’s shapes during his time as Ray Dixon in the programme that he is slapping down "a bullseye" – which translates from cockney rhyming slang to mean £50, due to the bullseye on a darts board being worth 50 points – on his pal to take home the Glitterball Trophy.
Shane – who plays Alfie Moon in the BBC One soap – wrote on Twitter: "Hey @ChuckyVenn I’m Off to the bookies dude putting a bullseye down for you to win passé doble. Your hips don’t lie ,I’ve seen you shake ya booty in the Vic ! Big manhug to ya bro’ (sic)"
While it’s not known which bookie Shane will be placing his wager with, if he backs the former ‘Dream Team’ star with Betfair then he will receive odds of 12/1 for the ‘Casualty’ actor to prevail.
Other eager punters look to have gone for a musical approach for their ‘Strictly’ betting, with Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts heading the market at 4/1, followed by Blue singer Lee Ryan (5/1), and Steps’ Faye Tozer (6/1).
Cricketers have tended to do fairly well in the past, so shrewd bettors could invest their hard-earned cash in value pick Graeme Swann, who is 14/1 with Betfair, but ‘What Not To Wear’ star Susannah Constantine could be more of a What Not To Back option as she is the 20/1 outsider.
Betfair Spokesperson Katie Baylis said: "With the announcement of the full line-up today, ‘Strictly’ fans will be starting to count down the days till the biggest show in the land returns and before a fox trot has even been attempted, it’s probably no surprise former Pussycat Doll Ashely Roberts is the 4/1 favourite considering that as one of the Dolls her main role was not as a singer, but a dancer.
"Two other popstars in Blue’s Lee Ryan and Faye Tozer from Steps are next in the betting at 5/1 and 6/1, with the assumption from fans and punters that being in pop bands should mean they have some rhythm.
"However, even if their backgrounds mean their dancing skills are more honed than the others, last year’s show proved that dancing is not everything with Alexandra Burke, clearly the most talented of the contestants, finishing out of the running."
Shane Richie bets on Chucky Venn to win Strictly
