Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Dancer and TV presenter; the only pro to win back-to-back Strictly Come Dancing; also winning mentor on The Greatest Dancer and judge on Dancing on Ice.
On the island
Eight records
Beyoncé (featuring Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams)
Just before I go on, every time I get riddled with nerves, and this song pumps me up. You know, when they say stand and do the Wonder Woman pose, this song is that for me.
This song makes me so emotional and it always reminded me of the journey that South Africa went through, the history, is still going through, and how that relates in my life and how strong people needed to be in order to be free.
This song it reminds me about my mom and how amazing she is, how determined she is and really how lucky I am to have her as my mom. She always fought for us and she taught us to fight for ourselves and not take no for an answer and be as ambitious and dedicated and competitive as we are.
Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross was my wedding song with my Dad. It was actually the first time I danced with my Dad, to be honest, and it reminds me of the good times and all the values he instils still in us today.
I think this was the first song I realized, okay, there's this thing called love. And I'm growing up, I also loved Toni Braxton so much.
I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman
And I think this describes exactly how I was feeling in that moment where I knew that it was time for me to move on. I'm a girl. But I'm not yet a woman and I'm still learning. And the song represents exactly that just that transition of career change, that fear that we feel just before we're about to make a big leap and not knowing whether it's the biggest mistake of our lives or it could be the best decision that we've ever taken.
It's My LifeFavourite
This is my favorite song of all time. It is My Life by Bon Jovi and first of all it is Bon Jovi of course, so it's understandable, but this song represents taking control and living the best life ever that you can and embracing all the ups and living and pushing through all the downs.
And this represents me and my sisters. And this was the song we always used to sing, obviously because we were three girls and Destiny's Child was three. And it's about all the hard things that we've been through. The times when people told us that we would not survive. The times when people told us that we weren't good enough. The times when people doubted us and put us down. And the best way to kind of retaliate or to show them is to be the best that you can be and succeed.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:02What are the most important qualities for a dance partner to have for you?
For me, I think it's first the chemistry. There has to be something that is unexplainable, that is untouchable, that the two have. That chemistry, whether it's friendship, whether it's love, whether it's passion, it sparks so much because the goals and the intentions are aligned. And from there on, we can do whatever we want.
Presenter asks
2:44Did you think that the pair of you [you and Bill Bailey] would be winners when you first stepped onto the dance floor?
Absolutely not. I remember just having deep conversations and I was like, the whole point of Strictly and what we love so much about Strictly is that Strictly is that one place where everything is possible. We had the lovely Rose come on. She is [Rose Ayling-Ellis] this year. And she won, you know. That's the first person on Strictly with a disability to actually win. … Bill was the oldest winner on Strictly and as you said, at first glance you wouldn't think it's possible. And then he does it. It's the magic of [Strictly].
Presenter asks
5:00How do you feel about your celebrity status?
I know that people are watching all the time. One thing that made me realize that was when I was picking up my dog's poop in the park and the next day it was in the daily … And I was like, really? Honestly. It would have been worse if you'd been in for not picking it up, though. … But it was seven in the morning. It was probably the only thing that I have in my life where, you know, sometimes you just need to center yourself. We just go walking, my dog and I, and dogs do what dogs do. And yes, I pick up after my dog. And you just don't expect little things like that to be seen and then people commenting.
The keepsakes
The book
Will Smith
I would take Will Smith's new book. It's called Will, because I love Will Smith and I think he's amazing.
The luxury
I love my grandma, she passed when I was nineteen, and she still holds a special place in my heart and I talk to her every now and then and I believe she's my guardian angel, so I take a photo of my Nana.
Presenter asks
6:04For people who describe themselves as having two left feet, do you think anyone can develop the ability to dance?
Anyone, everyone. And I think that's why shows like Dance on Ice and Strictly are so popular is because there's this element of wanting to be whisked away in the walls on a foxtrot or skating and just gliding on the ice and feeling like you're on cloud line. Anyone can do it. You just have to really just be brave enough to look up a dance school and take the first step. Not everybody is going to look like [Fred Astaire] or [Ginger Rogers]. … And strictly kind of makes it look like it does because we do it in seven days. But what people don't see is that it is all day, every day.
Presenter asks
8:06Tell me about your mother, Doodoo.
Yes, a force of nature, my mom. And growing up, it wasn't easy. She was in the 1976 riots when the youth of South Africa stormed and they refused to learn an Afrikaans anymore. And they wanted to be taught in English and in a language that they understood. And they were standing up against the government. But it made her so strong and fight for us. When we grew up, she was very strict. Like, we were not allowed to do anything. The only thing we did was go to school, do sports, weekends. We didn't even have weekends off. We were dancing. And she just didn't want us to grow up and feel like we didn't have opportunities. And she wanted to make sure that we were always busy so that we were never in the streets. We weren't getting up to any mischief. So dance was a way to.
Presenter asks
26:35How important has the programme [Strictly] been for changing people's perceptions, do you think?
No show has done it so well, so classy, so effortless, so beautifully impactful. There's no show that's done it like that. It's never about being the first. Sometimes they're not the first to do things, but they do it right and they do it beautifully. It makes it okay. I danced with [Jonnie Peacock] for the first time and he was the first person with a disability on Strictly. And [Jonnie] inspires and still inspires so many kids who thought that they couldn't dance, they couldn't run. The same with [Lauren], who had an arm amputation. The way Strictly does stuff is so beautiful and so pure.
“For me, I think it's first the chemistry. There has to be something that is unexplainable, that is untouchable, that the two have.”
“Yes, a force of nature, my mom. And growing up, it wasn't easy. She was in the 1976 riots when the youth of South Africa stormed and they refused to learn an Afrikaans anymore.”
“I was really good at school, but I also had like a little rebel side to me where I would do things that made no sense, but in my head they did.”
“No show has done it so well, so classy, so effortless, so beautifully impactful.”
“I would love it. Because I spent my time around so many people, entertaining people, dealing with people, my dog as well, my whole family. I celebrate when the house is empty and I'm all alone and I've got just music playing in the background and nothing to do.”