Kevin Clifton has been wowing the judges and the viewers on his second series of Strictly Come Dancing 2014 with his celeb partner Frankie Bridge.
Regularly topping the leaderboard and getting high scores, Kevin and Frankie have become one of the strongest partnerships in the competition. Tonight the semi-final arrives and if they make it through theyāll be dancing again in next weekās grand final.
We caught up with Kevin to talk about last weekās Salsa, Pixie Lottās shock exit from the competition, and the possibility of making next weekās final.
You and Frankie have made it to the semi-final. How do you feel?
Weāre ecstatic about making it and really relieved. The truth is we thought we were done last week and we thought we were going out. We sort of thought it for most of the week actually because Frankie just didnāt like the Salsa and couldnāt get to grips with it. We kept changing the choreography to try and get it to a place where we were happy with it. I was really ill all week and had horrible flu. We could hardly run through the dance very much. Frankie was brilliant in training because she knew I was ill she was really trying her best to keep my spirits up. She just wasnāt confident with it.
When we came to dance it ā two 8s and two 9s are still a decent score ā we found ourselves at the bottom of the leaderboard. In the Waltzathon we did our best and got a good second place there but it only lifted us one place. We just thought we were going to be in the dance-off and all of the other couples got a better score than us so we thought we couldnāt beat anybody. We were convinced we were done. I think when they called out our names and we were through it was just utter relief and joy. Weāre just made up to still be in the competition.
That was quite a celebratory yell you hadā¦
(laughs) Yeah! I sort of blacked out for a second because we just werenāt expecting it. We were waiting for the red light to turn on and be in the dance-off which would probably mean that weād be gone. Weād started trying to justify it and coming to terms with it saying, āno itās fine, weāve had a really good run and weāve enjoyed it, weāve done some good dances and got some good scoresā¦at least now weāll be able to prepare for Christmas and spend some time at homeā¦we can still be happy with what weāve achieved and reaching the quarter-finalā. We really justified it to ourselves; āItās ok if we go out here, itās not like we went out week 1 itās the quarter-final. Itās probably the toughest year ever on Strictly. Weāre happy, itās OK to go homeā. I think we realised when they called our names out that we didnāt want to go home. I just dropped to my knees and screamed. Frankieās face was just utter shock.
Last week really brought it home that anyone could leave the competition at any stage. Pixie Lott being eliminated was a huge shock. How much pressure is there this weekend when youāve just no idea how itās going to go?
In a strange way it almost takes the pressure off because thereās really nothing you can guess or analyse. We all try and analyse thinking, āwell if this happens and that happensā¦this coupleās been in the dance-off so they might be in again. Odds on theyāll be the ones who might go this week.ā You try and analyse everything and youāre thinking, āas long as we stay ahead of them on the leaderboard we should be safeā but nobody would have guessed that Pixie was going to go home. It really did bring it home to us and like you said anything could happen. The only thing that we can do is concentrate on our dances and control the stuff thatās in our control. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. As much as we might have thought we knew what was going on, nobody knows whatās happening and who might be going next.
You mentioned before how if youād been in the dance-off you would have gone because you didnāt score as well as some of the other couples. Pixie scored higher than Simon Webbe but she still went. It must be reassuring to see that the judges do genuinely decide based on the dance-off?
Yeah exactly. That was a shock. You would think they would have saved Pixie but it depends on how they look at it. Some of the judges might look at the body of work done over the series and who they consider to be the better dancer overall and some, like Len said, judge on the dance they see on the night and thatās how he called it judging purely on the dance-off. All you can do is go for it and do your absolute best at both times because you just donāt know how itās going to go.
This weekend you and Frankie have the Argentine Tango and the Rumba. How are those dances going?
Really well actually. We were so shocked to make it through to the semi-final that it feels like a bonus and weāre just really happy to still be in the competition. Weāve gone into training trying not to think about the pressure or anything like that. Weāve just been getting on with our dances and Frankieās working harder than ever. She seems to really be enjoying both of these dances. I think sheās looking forward to the Argentine Tango and thatās one of the reasons I really wanted to get to the semis. It would have been a shame if weād gone out in the quarter-finals because the Argentine Tango is a dance sheās wanted to do.
With the Rumba, everybody says itās āthe dance of deathā or āthe dance of doomāā¦
Weāve always heard it was āthe dance of loveāā¦
(laughs) Itās supposed to be but on Strictly itās becoming the dance of death. A lot of time when you do Rumba you end up in the dance-off. It always seems to be a difficult one. I was trying to avoid it but the way the dances have fallen and because we have to do a Ballroom and a Latin this week, we had to do Rumba. Frankie was like, āno, no! I canāt believe weāre doing Rumba in the semi-finalā but actually she seems to be really enjoying it so fingers crossed.
You couldnāt have picked two more intense dances for the semi-final could you?
I know! The Argentine Tango is pretty intense. For the Rumba weāve gone down the line of making it, as we call it āa Rumba for the kidsā, rather than doing an in your face, raunchy Rumba. Weāre trying to do a different twist on it. I think Frankieās enjoying it more that way. I donāt think she was looking forward to getting up-close-and-personal with me, and grinding all over me.
Yeah, probably not with Karen stood a few feet away and Frankieās husband Wayne sat in the audienceā¦
Exactly yeah! That could be a bit awkward (laughs)
Itās week 12 of the competition, youāve got two dances to do this week, and youāre a week away from the final. Frankie must be exhausted. How is she feeling at this stage in the competition?
I think weāre both pretty exhausted but to be honest I think last week was our most intense week with me being ill, Frankie couldnāt get to grips with the dance and being at the bottom of the leaderboard. That was our toughest week by far of the whole series. I think we feel like weāve got over that hill and now itās OK. Weāre just enjoying ourselves and having a good time with it. With Pixie going last week, it could be our last week this weekend who knows? We want to finish the whole series, whether itās this weekend or next, on a high, enjoying ourselves and just enjoying the dances rather than being stressed out about it all. I feel like last week was really stressful. Weāre all exhausted but weāre just getting on with it and enjoying ourselves.
Last year you made the final with Susanna Reid. What would it mean to you to make the final again for the second year running?
Oh, Iād love to. I think Iād be lying if I said I hadnāt thought about it or I wouldnāt be bothered. I would love to be in the final again and Frankie deserves it. I would love for Frankie to have the chance to dance in the final. I was thinking about this the other day; if we do make the final avoiding the dance-off this weekend then Iāll have gone my first two series without ever being in the dance-off. I wasnāt in one last year with Susanna. That would be a real milestone I suppose (laughs).
Basically then you need people to pick up their phones, or vote online, this weekend so you never have to do the dance-off?
Yeah! That would be brilliant (laughs)
Strictly Come Dancing 2014 continues at 6.50pm tonight on BBC One. Watch Kevin and Frankieās Salsa from the quarter-final below: