BBC1 - Saturday
Since 2020, Kym Marsh has started the day with a smile hosting BBC1’s Morning Live. Now she’s hoping to become a Saturday night stalwart on Strictly Come Dancing.
A hectic year has also included filming the next series of Waterloo Road, welcoming a second grandchild, and enjoying life as a newlywed following her marriage to army major Scott Ratcliff last October.
Leading the cheers once the competition gets underway will be her father David, who is battling cancer, and her mum Pauline.
‘I’d fill the entire place with just my family and friends,’ admits Kym. ‘I’m going to have to space it out evenly so that people get a chance to come. It’s only fair. But the first live show will be my parents.’
Having spent 14 years as part of the Corrie cast, will lots of Weatherfield folk also be hoping to make it to the studio?
‘Oh, for sure. I think Antony Cotton [who plays Sean Tully] will be one of the first,’ reveals Kym, 46, whose co-star introduced her to Scott through his charity work with the British Army.
The former pop star is under no illusions that her time on Strictly will be gruelling, fitness-wise.
‘I’m not in the best shape. I’m certainly not as fit as I would like to be, or need to be,’ Kym tells TVChoice after her first full day of training alongside her co-stars. ‘But doing those routines and seeing how much we sweated, I don’t think it’s going to be long!’
Kym admits it’ll be fun being ‘Strictlyfied’, but after a long session recording in the sparkly outfits, she says her tracksuit bottoms and trainers will be very appealing…
‘You get to a point where you’re sweating and, you know, you just want to get it all off!’ she says. ‘Still,
the wardrobe team are fantastic.’
As for which dances will prove her forte, Kym says she’s clueless, but likes the idea of taking on
the dramatic ones, like the Tango.
‘Hopefully it’s one of the things where I’ll have a little bit of an advantage, in that I can act it and every dance does tell a story. Fingers crossed I’ll be pretty good at that side of it.’
And if she gets the chance to take on a Tango, perhaps Kym can channel her old alter ego, Corrie’s Michelle, with a moody glare as if she’s caught husband Steve McDonald up to no good…
‘Ha ha, imagine that!’ grins Kym. ‘I would love to try that – it would be great.’
When she made her name on reality show Popstars back in 2001, viewers saw Kym subjected to some harsh criticism from judge ‘Nasty’ Nigel Lythgoe.
‘When you’ve been called “fat” on national television…’ she laughs, recalling the shocking moment.
So, chiding of her Charleston or fault-finding over her Foxtrot from acerbic judge Craig Revel Horwood won’t be likely to faze Kym.
‘All of the judges are there for a reason and to pass on their expertise and knowledge. If they
tell me I’m doing it wrong, then I’m doing it wrong. Who am I to argue? I just hope Craig’s not too mean!’
