As the Strictly Come Dancing final approaches, comedian Chris McCausland has confessed to feeling “emotionally weak” amid the whirlwind of rehearsals and performances.
47-year-old Chris is partnered with Strictly pro Dianne Buswell.
The duo have defied expectations by making it to the final of the BBC dance competition.
On Sunday, they’ll face off against Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, and JB Gill and Lauren Oakley for the coveted Glitterball Trophy.
But backstage, emotions are running high. On December 10, Chris and Dianne shared an update on social media.
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Chris McCausland talks before the Strictly final
During the video, Dianne teased Chris about a moment during their waltz practice.
“Chris got very emotional again.” She revealed, smiling. “I can’t help but get emotional when I look at your face during that because you just look like you’re enjoying it so much.”
Chris opened up about the flood of feelings he experienced. “I’ll be honest, I got a little bit emotional before. I’m quite weak at the minute, I’m emotionally weak. It doesn’t take much to set me off.” He admitted.
Rehearsing their waltz made Chris realize that it might be their last dance together on the show. “I imagined it all being over on Saturday and it being the last time we dance on the show, and it upset me.” He said.
Dianne confessed that the moment brought tears to her eyes as well. Reflecting on their journey, Dianne praised Chris’s resilience.
‘Chris really deserves it’
“I think Chris really deserves it, and we’ve shown things don’t need to be perfect to be successful.” She continued.
“Perfectionism is crippling.” Chris agreed. “It stops you from trying or doing things because you’re worried you can’t do it good enough. A lot of kids watch this show, and I think it’s a nice message for them to subliminally learn.”
The pair thanked their fans for supporting them, with Chris jokingly hiding behind Dianne to avoid crying on camera. “Before we cry on the telly on Saturday.” He quipped.
“I’m already tearing up now, Chris.” Dianne chimed in.
Fans in tears
Meanwhile, fans flooded the comments with support.
“Jeeeez, I’m struggling to get through this without a tear!” One fan wrote. “God help us all come Saturday night!”
“What a journey!! Even I got emotional just watching this video, so tears will definitely be happening on Saturday.” Another added.
“There won’t be a dry eye in the house on Saturday.” A third fan echoed. “You’ve both been amazing and so inspirational.”
“Now we’re all crying!!! Enjoy guys!” Another gushed.
While Chris has faced trolls questioning his place in the competition, he has remained unfazed.
“If Strictly is purely a dance competition, give it to Tasha.” He told Metro last week.
Instead, Chris is focused on the “overwhelmingly incredible and beautiful” support he and Dianne have received.
“We had done what I wanted to do, and everything else then became a bonus.” He said.
Read More: Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova sparks romance rumours as she reunites with Tom Dean
The Strictly final airs this weekend on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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