Natasha Kaplinsky: ‘It’s a disappointment’ Strictly star opens up on life after show win
NATASHA KAPLINSKY won the first ever series of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2004 but the skills she learned haven't stuck with her as she admitted she’s a “disappointment”.
Strictly: Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole dance samba
Natasha Kaplinsky, 46, lifted the glitterball trophy with professional partner Brendan Cole 15 years ago.
But despite winning Strictly Come Dancing, Natasha claimed she lets people down when they want to see her dance moves.
Talking to Express.co.uk about whether she still dances, she spilled: “People think ‘Oh gosh when she gets on the dance floor it’s going to be amazing but then they see me when me and my drunk husband and think oh gosh’.
Laughing, she joked: “It’s quite a disappointment.”
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None of us can quite believe it
Natasha is married to Justin Bower and the couple have two children, son, 11, and daughter Angelica, nine.
The BBC newsreader said her and her family still can’t believe she went on to win the hugely-popular show.
“None of us can quite believe it,” she said.
“When I look back and think I look so thin dancing! It does amazing things to your physique.”
She added: “Once you’ve danced with a world class professional, it’s actually very difficult to dance with anybody else.”
Reflecting on her time on the BBC One competition, Natasha admitted she no longer gets nervous when she hears the theme song and loves to watch it with her daughter.
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“It’s only now when I hear the music my heart doesn’t thump,” she spilled.
“It used to make me feel sick before now I love it!”
She went on: “I’ve got a nine-year-old daughter, Angelica, and she loves it.
“So for us, when the series starts, we love to settle down and watch it and watching with her feels so special, it’s heaven.”
Natasha also admitted it was a “risk” to be a part of the show as nobody knew how the show was going to be perceived.
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The mother-of-one spilled: “At that time, nobody knew whether it would be successful so everyone thought it was a big risk.”
Recalling what it was like juggling work and dancing on the show, she said: “I just started out at the BBC doing BBC Breakfast, getting up at twenty past three every morning.
“I was trying to be taken seriously but then I was donning a little sequinned number strutting my stuff on the dance floor. It felt like the wrong thing to be doing but it took off!”
Natasha recently worked with the Department for Education on the government’s new campaign to encourage parents to interact more with their children.
To view the film, please visit: http://po.st/ChatPlayRead.
