Tamzin Outhwaite has turned down the BBC show many times but no longer cares what people think of her
As she prepares to dance in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, Tamzin Outhwaite admitted she’s turned the show down so many times before, she now worries she’s left it too late.
The actress, 54, said her busy work life had always prevented her from taking part previously but now reckons she feels a bit “braver”. “I was definitely asked in my 30s and in my 40s but I thought I’d wait until I was properly old and do it,” she laughed.
“My 30s and 40s were manic. Now I can stop and take stock and not just do everything but pick and choose, it makes me feel a bit like I am braver. Also, I don’t care what anyone thinks any more – that’s what happens as you get older.”
Mum-of-two Tamzin will perform a Viennese Waltz to Hallelujah with her pro partner Nikita Kuzmin, and is thrilled that her Spice Girl pal Emma Bunton has been booked to sing one of the band’s hits. Despite a long career as an actress, the former EastEnders star insists that dancing doesn’t come naturally to her and she is “not going for the win”.
“In my head, when I’m dancing I think I look like Nadiya (Bychkova). And then I catch myself in the mirror and I’m like, ‘oh dear’. In my head it looks and feels really beautiful – I’m trying to be graceful but that’s not in my comfort zone.” Despite this, she said she was loving every second. “I’m revelling in the joy of it, these little nuggets of joy that come along in your life,” she gushed.
Some showbiz pals had tried to warn her off taking part, but the actress ignored them. “Some people have said to me ‘oh you should do it’ and other people have said ‘definitely don’t’ – but these aren’t people who have done it!” she explained.
“These are actor friends of mine that are like, ‘Why? Don’t do it, it’s going to be a nightmare’ but actually this is a little taster for me. It’s making me kind of think it wouldn’t necessarily be a nightmare. My body might be able to hold up.”
That said, Tamzin admits that in the run-up she’d had no time to get fit ahead of taking part. “I said yes on the Thursday and started on the Monday,” she declared. “I’m sure someone had dropped out but I don’t care. That’s my gain!”
Now “single and happy” after her relationship with long-term partner Tom Child ended this summer, Tamzin now says she’d think about taking part in the main show, if she was invited. “It’s not off the cards now I suppose.
“You’d have to be asked, that’s the first thing. I probably would consider it,” she mused, noting that performing on live TV on a weekly basis is a big step up from the pre-recorded Christmas show. “That scares a lot of people – it’s whether or not I would be strong enough to do that. It’s been a wonderful experience, maybe this is enough.”
