Comic Chris McCausland has admitted he had doubts about joining Strictly Come Dancing, fearing it wouldn't be "worth the risk".
The 47 year old comedian, who is blind, has expressed his pride in reaching the final with his dance partner Dianne Buswell. In his column for the Daily Telegraph, Chris shared his initial concerns: "I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved and how it’s been received, and just the effect that it seems to have had on people’s attitudes towards disability.
"We’ve had so many lovely messages. And that’s the whole point of being on this show for me – to represent in a positive way, not in a sob-story way. " He continued, "If I’m honest, I didn’t know whether Strictly was worth the risk, because I didn’t know if it was achievable. If I’d been terrible, it would have been no good for anybody – all it would have proved is that somebody with a disability can’t compete."
However, with Dianne's support, he feels they've succeeded: "But, with my amazing teacher Dianne by my side, we’ve managed it." Chris also dismissed any notion that he's progressed in the competition out of sympathy, stating: "We’ve also made it to the finish line without ever once having less points than the person eliminated, so I don’t feel like we’ve been kept in on sympathy. I’m proud that we’ve deserved our place each week."
Despite his comedic flair, the funnyman admitted he should have hit the gym prior to the start of rehearsals as he still doesn't feel quite up to scratch. Opening up, he confessed he has one regret about his time on the show: "I’ve learnt to let myself go more and more as we’ve continued. If I could turn the clock back I’d probably spend six months beforehand getting fitter. Even last week I couldn’t physically talk after our Viennese Waltz."
He has also forged strong bonds with fellow participants, sharing that: "Paul [Merson] and Nick [Knowles] have been supporting me from the sidelines and Pete [Wicks] has become like a brother to me. We’ve promised we’ll go for a slap-up meal together once we’re out of dance prison."
On Saturday, Chris and Dianne will perform three dances in a bid to impress the judges and the voters at home, who will ultimately decide who wins the glitterball trophy. His fellow finalists are comedian JLS singer JB Gill, Miranda actress Sarah Hadland, and Love Island star Tasha Ghouri.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Final will air live on Saturday from 6pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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