Strictly's Chris McCausland enjoys relaxing stroll with wife after getting through quarter-final

Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland was pictured enjoying a relaxing day out with his wife and daughter after getting through the quarter final of the dance competition

Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland was pictured enjoying a stroll with his wife after getting through to the quarter-finals of the dance competition.

The comedian, 47, is paired with professional dancer Dianne Buswell in the BBC competition and the pair are among the favourites to lift the Glitterball Trophy this year. Chris, the first blind contestant in the show's history, lost his sight 20 years ago due to retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease.

He recently received a respectable score of 33 from the judges after performing the Paso doble with Dianne. And now, after getting through to the next stage of the competition, he was seen enjoying some much-needed bonding time with his wife Patricia in west London.

Chris and Patricia were snapped walking side-by-side before they walked into a coffee shop. Chris kept it casual in a black zip-up sweater, black jeans, and a white cap. Patricia, who had her arms looped with his, kept warm in a cosy brown sweater and dark blue jeans.

The comedian and psychologist Patricia got married in 2012 after meeting in 2005 when he was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He got down on one knee and proposed to her at a Pearl Jam concert at London's Hyde Park. The two live in Surbiton and have an 11-year-old daughter named Sophie.

"We spent a lot of time together when the camera wasn't running, socialising, going out and doing things, and we just had a lot of fun," he once said about her. Chris said Patricia was "full of energy" and took him out of his comfort zone, while he made her laugh and was "almost this calming presence in her life that she was attracted to".

Chris and Patricia's outing comes after Strictly fans complained about the 'discriminatory' Samba-thon. After performing their individual dances on Saturday night, the contestants were made to participate in a Samba-thon which needed the dancers to be aware of their surroundings while performing.

The twist made it difficult for Chris - who is blind. Chris and Dianne were first to be eliminated. Fans quickly took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express concerns about the fairness of the Samba-thon. One user wrote: "I'm sorry but the sambathon was very discriminatory against Chris, he had no perception of where the others were and he wasn't able to do half the moves the other couples were doing because he had to be connected to Dianne, very poor from Strictly."

Others criticized Strictly for bringing back the Samba-thon this year, knowing it would put Chris at a disadvantage. One fan said: "I find it shocking they chose this year to bring back the sambathon when Chris cannot see any of the other couples or be spatially aware of them. Like of course he's gonna get voted off first? Not in good taste in my opinion." Another added: "Had it been an annual thing, that’s one thing… but they chose to bring it back! It was deliberated! Selected! Put in place! With a BLIND and very popular contestant! MAD!!!"

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