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 08 October 2008 00:59 BST

Kenny Logan: I was never scared of the Strictly judges

Thursday, 31 Jan 2008 16:38
Kenny and partner Ola Jordan wowed audiences on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing.
Few thought when former rugby star Kenny Logan stepped on to the dancefloor that'd he be gracing Saturday night TV for long and the barbed comments of the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel - "gorilla" and "lump of granite" being just two of the kind remarks - seemed to suggest that the Scot would soon be exiting the BBC1 show.

But after trading the grime and grit of the rugby field for the glitz and glamour of the ballroom, Kenny's fortunes were transformed and he surprised us all by finishing fifth in the competition alongside partner Ola Jordan, lasting a good while longer than his TV presenter wife Gabby - one of the show favourites - and her partner James, Ola's husband.

Though he eventually lost out to former EastEnders actress Letitia Dean in a dance-off, and may not have reached the heights scaled by fellow sportsmen and former show contestants Matt Dawson, Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash, Kenny's poor scores seemed irrelevant to the watching public who kept him on our screens for nine weeks.

inthenews.co.uk's Lewis Bazley talked to Kenny to find out how Gabby felt about his stint on the show, whether Alesha Dixon was the deserving winner and those rumours about Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace.

Was it surprising to finish fifth on the show?

It was amazing. My first week I looked like a scared rabbit in headlights. And I was against Brian [Capron, Coronation Street actor] and I thought 'I can't get beat off Brian, he's twice the age of me' and that motivated me.

But you soon improved...

I got a little turnabout week three, or four and started getting a bit more confident and it was the first time I went on to the dancefloor thinking 'I own this piece of wood, this is my wood'. To get to the last five was amazing.

How did Gabby feel about you lasting a lot longer than her?

At the start we never thought that was going to happen. Gabby was one of the favourites and I wasn't looked upon. But everybody has a bit of a journey and a story and my change from the first two weeks to the end. I remember Ola saying to me after six or seven weeks: 'Kenny, you can dance now', and I couldn't believe she said it. Even Gabby said it!

Was she supportive of you on the show, even after her exit?

Amazingly. When I played rugby she was there for me every week and in Strictly Come Dancing she was there every week. She loves the whole show, she loved being part of it and would have loved to be involved a bit longer. Sadly, all my friends who voted for me said they didn't vote for Gabby because they didn't think she needed the votes!

You played international rugby for many years, coming up against some of the best players in the world. How did the pressures of the Six Nations and the World Cup compare to facing up to the likes of judges Len Goodman and Arlene Philips on the show?

Len Goodman and Arlene and Bruno and Craig - they were the easiest part of Strictly Come Dancing I've always responded from criticism, so they probably drove me on through criticising me. But the main thing that drove me on was not wanting to look like an absolute idiot in front of ten million people and the first couple of weeks I was doing a very good job of doing that.

But you were determined to do well at it?

I was, I think that's why sportsmen tend to do well, they've got that inner belief. I was never really scared about meeting up with the judges, I was more scared about me looking like a fool on the dancefloor.

Like Matt Dawson, Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash, you've gone from professional sport to performing well on the show - why do you think sportsmen can be so adept at dancing?

We learn really quickly. I learned a lot quicker than I had been as a rugby player. You'd think actors would be able to do it, to be honest, but I sometimes feel that because we work in an environment where every week they're giving us new directions that we've got to learn really quickly, we've got to learn moves, that helps. And every sportsman wants to be the best.

You weren't the only sportsman in this year's show though, with ex-footballer John Barnes and snooker player Willie Thorne also competing - was there any rivalry there?

I remember when I first turned up, John Barnes and Willie Thorne said 'The first thing we've got to do is get rid of Kenny Logan'. And once I got rid of Willie, I could see John Barnes in my sights and got rid of him! But I would never mention it, obviously...

Did the best person win the show?

Definitely. She's not just the best dancer, she's an amazing person. I'm not saying it for the show's respect, I'm saying it because what she saw was what you got, she was down to earth and a good laugh. She'd had a hard year or so and she took it on the chin and went out and performed.

Was it a bit strange that you and Gabby were paired with Ola and James, also a couple?

Well, put it this way, I was glad I got Ola rather than James! Ola's absolutely beautiful and a really good teacher. I remember doing the one-armed lift and James is a bit jealous as he's never done that before so he's already asked me for some weights tips so that he can do it next year.

And finally, what do you know about the rumours about Matt and Flavia?

I know they're very good dancers. Why, what are the rumours?

That there's a lot of jealousy between [Flavia's long-term boyfriend and fellow Strictly dancer] Vincent Simone and Matt.

I've got to say, I've not heard that. I don't know why there would be, Vince is a better dancer than Matt. They are dancing all the time, to be fair, I'm sure it'll be alright.

Kenny Logan was speaking about how to match a balanced diet with an active lifestyle on behalf of the Feel Good About Meat campaign, conducted by Quality Meat Scotland.

Lewis BazleyEnd of story


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