DINH DOONG

Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing fans were left in fits of laughter as Chris McCausland pointed out a hilarious issue during tonight’s episode.

The Liverpool-born comedian made his return to the dance floor for the second week of the beloved BBC competition. Joined by his dance partner, Dianne Buswell, they performed a Foxtrot to Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy. At 47, Chris is the first blind contestant on the show and viewers were left in awe of his remarkable performance.

Fans following the show on social media platform X hailed Chris as an inspiration, expressing their hopes for him to win this season. One posted: “Chris is my winner. His skill is outstanding and makes it look effortless.” Another wrote: “Chris needs to win this, he’s on the Bill Bailey arc of ‘genuine beginner to joyful dancer’.”

Someone else added: “Chris making me well up at the TV every week with pride”, reports the Liverpool Echo. A fourth shared: “I still get emotional when Chris last night said on Dianne’s vid diaries that he feels left out when he’s literally the SOUL of the show this series” Another commented: “Why do I always have a lump in my throat watching Chris dance? That was beautiful! “.

However, Chris humorously claimed he was at a disadvantage due to his dance coinciding with Liverpool FC’s match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. The comic took to the dance floor in the final moments as Arne Slot’s team secured a 2 – 1 victory to top the table.

 
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Claudia Winkleman couldn’t help but laugh when she asked Chris about his feelings post-dance, to which he replied: “I’m not happy to be honest as they’ve put me on 10 minutes before the Liverpool game ends. That’s half of Liverpool watching the football, that’s half of my core voter group.”Despite his concerns over timing, Chris delivered a stellar performance that wowed the judges and earned him a high score of 29 from the panel, including Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, and Anton Du Beke. Chris has been in the comedy circuit since 2003 and was born with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). He lost his sight at the age of 22 and initially worked as a web designer until his vision worsened, prompting him to explore stand-up comedy.

In a 2016 interview with the ECHO, Chris recounted: “When I finished uni I focused on designing websites, but then my eyesight started deteriorating and I had enough. I knocked it on the head and tried to find something else to do. I was unemployed for maybe a year and a half and in the end I got a job doing business sales. It was really, really boring stuff – just filling the time until I figured out what I properly wanted to do.”

He continued: “Then, when I was 26, I got shingles and was signed off from work for two weeks. I was bored out of my head and as a dare from myself I decided to have a go at stand-up. I don’t think it could have been scarier. I didn’t eat a thing all day and just paced around my flat. I’d never been a public speaker, I have no drama experience or anything.”

He recounted the harrowing feeling ahead of his debut performance in Balham, south London, admitting how those initial successes gave him a love for stand-up that’s stayed with him ever since.