'I have never been interested in dressing like a pretty lady'

Broadcaster, presenter and former Strictly contestant Angela Scanlon looks at this year's line-up and tells us about the clothes her husband really hates

- LAUREN MORRIS

She has experienced the delights and dangers of Strictly Come Dancing first hand, and now Angela Scanlon is warning headline-making stars like Thomas Skinner to “keep their head down” if they want to enjoy the competition.

Angela, 41, waltzed through the 2023 series with professional Carlos Gu, making it all the way to Week 10. Having managed to avoid being swept up in a Strictly scandal during that time, she has offered her advice on how to handle the intense spotlight that comes with the show.

“It’s a noisy show - people are interested in it,” she tells OK!. “They care about it deeply and my advice, for what it's worth, is to just keep your head down and focus on the dancing. Do your very best and try to block out as much of the noise as possible. People will have opinions - good, bad and indifferent - and it doesn’t matter.

“Most of the people who are involved will have had it from one side or another at one point and they by and large know how to handle it, but I’d just say, 'Focus on your jive, babe.'

One star who has already felt the scrutiny that comes with Strictly is former Apprentice star Skinner. The 34-year-old was forced to come clean about his affair with an aesthetician just weeks after his wedding to Sinéad Chambers, while The Mirror later revealed that he had failed to pay back a £50,000 Covid bounce back loan for his mattress company Bosh Beds.