Strictly Speaking

Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins may well have hung up her Strictly Come Dancing shoes but the Surrey girl is looking forward to spreading seasonal cheer with local charity Harrison’s Fund. She chats to Claire Saul.

- Claire Saul

AFTER a week of gruelling dance rehearsals, Charlotte Hawkins’ feet had barely touched the ground when we caught up about Strictly Come Dancing early one morning. Well I say early, with her routine 3am start, Charlotte had already been up for almost seven hours and completed a broadcast on Good Morning Britain. “I knew that doing Strictly was going to be hard, that daily juggling act between doing my job, eight hours of dance training and getting home in time to see my little girl and do bedtime with her,” says Charlotte. “It was pretty full on but you just have to throw yourself into the challenge.”

During each week Strictly contestants also need to factor in costume fittings, appearances on spin off programme It Takes Two and promotional and filming work for the show, all of which is squeezed in around their regular jobs. Saturdays are spent at the Elstree studios preparing for and filming that night’s live show and prerecording the Sunday results show. While it was a packed schedule, for Charlotte it was the realisation of a dream.