Shaun Wright-Phillips is adamant he’s having a great time on Strictly Come Dancing – he just needs to tackle the issue of looking very serious on screen.
The former footballer, 40, showed plenty of technique in the opening week but was clearly thinking hard about the moves when he scored just 15, and he hopes to look more relaxed this weekend.
He and pro partner Alexis Warr are taking on a salsa to the Bee Gees Seventies classic ‘You Should Be Dancing’ from Saturday Night Fever as part of Movie Week on the BBC show.
On the BBC show, Shaun says: “It’s been way harder than I expected on multiple fronts, not just the atmosphere, not just the viewers watching, but to play the part and try and do the acting and smiling, as well as concentrating on the most difficult parts of the dance. That is kind of where I lost my happy face and went straight into ‘football serious mode’ to make sure I got all the steps right.
“And to be honest, that is one thing I was really happy about is the fact that the steps that I was taught and my arm placement was correct. And that’s what I went in there trying to do.”
He adds: “It’s not even about being the first out. I just want to be the best I can be at the dances that I’m taught. So the competitive edge is still there, but it’s more with myself to become the best that Alexis can possibly get me to than against all the other contestants.
“Yeah, of course I want to get to the final. Who doesn’t want to get to the final in Strictly? But the learning path and the journey and meeting the wonderful people behind the scene, the pros, the other cast, all plays a major factor in it as well for me.”
Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse said Shaun was too “shy” whilst Craig Revel Horwood mocked his hopes of dancing “like a pro” by saying that would take a good few weeks yet and then gave him a score of just ‘2’.
But unfazed, Shaun says: “I want to say I wasn’t shy. Of course, I was nervous and terrified in the moment, but that face wasn’t me not expressing myself.
“That was me expressing myself in a way that I’ve just known how all my life in terms of concentrating and focusing on what needs to be done at what times. You’ve got 90 seconds, so you have to hit everything on time, otherwise, it can mess up everything else. So it was just for my first dance, it was a lot to think about.
“Honestly, I’m used to being criticised and told how to make myself better through my football career. So everything the judges say, whether I agree or not, I respect it. They’re the masters of that trade and I’m going to try and implement it into this next dance coming up the best I can do and hopefully just keep growing with more and more with confidence.”
Alexis adds: “He definitely was enjoying it and he was making sound effects throughout this dance as well. We were hyping each other up, talking, saying, ‘Let’s go’.
“We are trying to experiment with what it’s like to be more animated and just to be more external with everything.”
Shaun, 44, played for Manchester City, Chelsea and England during his career, and is the adopted son of Arsenal legend Ian Wright. His mum Sharon is also a keen supporter and Strictly fan and they sometimes dance around the house together on a Sunday with music blaring out.
On his family feedback, Shaun says: I spoke to my dad after the show. He’s just proud that I’m doing it because he knows it’s way out of my comfort zone. And to do it, he’s just chuffed that I did it.
“But my mum was there and all she kept saying is, ‘Come on son, you’ve got to shake those hips a little bit more’. But that was about it. I just said, ‘You try being out there then’.”
His fancy footwork which used to see him gliding down the wing on the pitch may be an asset of sorts when it comes to Strictly, but he says the main thing that translates is his work ethic.
He it pushing hard this week in the hope that practice makes perfect.
“I would say the part that transfers over is that no matter how tired I am, if Alexis says, ‘Again’, I’m ready to go again. No matter how much it kills me, I will go again just to try and help it become more set into my body. I’d rather just keep doing it over and over again. No matter how tedious it might feel, I will just keep going.
Partner Alexis agrees and adds: “I definitely do see that being the biggest transfer over is his work ethic. It’s really impressive. I’m sometimes the one that has to be like, ‘Okay, give me five minutes’.
“This week we’re definitely not playing it safe, and so definitely pushing him to the max with certain things. But he is such a hard worker and is really putting in the effort. So I’m proud and I’m happy with where it’s at, so I’m really excited for the performance.”
And as a former Man City player, I also wondered if he had given much thought this week to the Premier League victory over the club in court over breaches of its financial regulations, which could see the club relegated or titles taken away from them.
But laid back Shaun is not letting it affect him at all.
“I’m over it to be totally honest with you,” he says, referring to the process which has taken a number of years.
“It’s been going on for that long. There’s one thing I can say on it, whatever has happened behind the scenes, the players and the fans, they didn’t pay for that. And no matter how much money you spend, it doesn’t buy you the Premier League. That’s my personal opinion.”
He adds: “It’s disheartening to see what’s out there, but at the end of the day, it will all resolve itself whatever way it’s going to do it, and it’s just onwards and upwards. But in terms of, for me, for here, I’ve got tunnel vision on right now.
“There’s way too much to think about in the routines that they are giving me to have any thought process outside of Strictly right now. I just hope everyone will vote for us this week and can help us get through.”
* Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight, Saturday October 3, on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer at 6.15pm.
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