Chris McCausland was the first celebrity contestant confirmed for the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 line-up and so far he’s dazzling the judges and viewers alike.
Comedian Chris, 47, is a familiar face to TV viewers thanks to his stand up routines and appearances on panel shows.
He’s the first blind celeb to take part in Strictly in the BBC show’s history – and has joked he can’t dance. But he’s certainly having the last laugh now…
Chris, who lost his sight in his twenties, said: “If anybody out there is thinking, how the hell is he going to do that? Then rest assured that I am thinking exactly the same thing.
“I don’t dance, I haven’t danced, I can’t dance, I can’t see the dancing I will have to do. What can possibly go wrong? Okay don’t answer that…!”
Where Chris McCausland is from
Chris was born in in Liverpool but has lived in south-west London he was a teenager, moving to the capital to study at Kingston University.
What else has Chris McCausland been in
Chris has performed sets on Live at the Apollo three times. And he’s also popped up on plenty of comedy panel shows, including Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie to You?, QI, The Last Leg, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and House of Games.
He appeared on The Royal Variety Performance in 2021, starred in Not Going Out with Lee Mack in 2023, and has also hosted Channel 4 travel series Wonders of the World I Can’t See.
Earlier this summer, Saturday morning chat show series The Chris McCausland Show began on ITV. And Chris also has Bad Tidings, a festive family comedy movie he’s co-written and stars in, coming out for Sky this Christmas.
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Strictly star Chris McCausland has a wife and daughter
The star is married to wife Patricia – and, according to online reports, it is believed she may be Brazilian and a psychologist.
The couple share a daughter called Sophie, 10. Chris reportedly previously said having kids scared him as he was worried he would be a “half dad”. He explained in an interview with Gyles Brandreth: “I was in such a dilemma about it because I knew I would regret not having kids, but the thought of having kids terrified me.”
Chris went on: “The idea of being a parent and all of the things I was going to be unable to do properly. My dad, all the things he used to do with me as a kid, taking me to different places, and the time he put in helping me build things.”
However, Chris added that being a dad has been “amazing”.
In another interview when Sophie was younger, Chris joked being a blind father got easier as she was getting older.
He said: “There was a really difficult period when she was a one year old, where she was mobile but silent, crawling about on the floor but hardly making a bloody peep!
“Looking back, maybe I should have put a bell on her, or a bluetooth tracker so that I could ask Alexa to find her! Now she’s five though, it’s probably things like not being able to help her properly with her reading and her writing. How many of the other kids in her class have already got better handwriting than their Daddy?”
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How Strictly star Chris McCausland lost his sight and when he went blind
Chris is blind due to the condition retinitis pigmentosa, which impairs vision in low light conditions.
He’s said about losing his sight at 22: “When it started happening, it was scary and embarrassing. I found myself in difficult situations because I was reluctant to ask for help.
When it started happening, it was scary and embarrassing.
“I knew I would never be on a level playing field with everyone else. My eyesight deteriorated significantly while I was at university, and the technology available at that time wasn’t advanced enough, so I had to abandon my career path in web development.”
Chris has also reflected about how his eyesight deteriorated steadily over time.
“You stop being able to do different things at different stages,” he said.
“So you stop being able to see in the dark, or seeing dusk, or see your computer screen, or read a printed book, all of these different things happen at different times. But I kind of say late teens to early twenties, that kind of five-year period from maybe 16 to 21 is when the bulk of the useful stuff just went.”
Chris also addressed his sight when he took part in Channel 4’s Scared of the Dark.
“I’m blind but I don’t see black,” he said at the time. “I still see light and space. I still have an awareness of the space around me. Not in terms of objects and things, but in terms of the room and whether there might be something in front of me.”
On representation of disability on screen
Speaking to The Guardian in June 2023, Chris agreed representation of disability on screen is improving.
He said: “It’s great that there’s people coming through who are able to represent disability while also having the experience to do the job properly. There’s no point fast-tracking performers on to TV before they’re ready. In comedy especially, you need experience to be able to react in the moment.”
Furthermore, Chris continued: “I joke that I’m an overnight success 20 years in the making. I’ve been gigging non-stop since my twenties, relentlessly hammering the circuit. So when TV opportunities come along, I’ve had the confidence to be myself and enjoy it.”
He was in CBeebies series Me Too!
In the noughties, one of Chris’ first regular gigs on TV was as Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too!.
He’s reflected on the association: “Sadly, it’s the most inappropriately named show. If you Google my name, one of the suggested options has always been: ‘Chris McCausland, Me Too’. Anyone who doesn’t know CBeebies must look at it and go: ‘Oh my God, what’s the dirty [blank] done?'”
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Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One Saturday (September 28) at 6.15pm.
Read more: The oldest Strictly Come Dancing contestants over the years
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