Strictly Come Dancing star Kelvin Fletcher is pushing himself to the limit to win the Glitterball trophy this year with 5am work-outs, 12-hour dance sessions and a 3,000 calorie-a-day diet.

The former Emmerdale star is the favourite to win, and he’s now revealed the gruelling regime behind his incredible dances.

In a chat with GQ , Kelvin, 35, explained his daily routine, which starts by getting up at 5am on Monday morning for an early gym session.

After a 90-minute work-out, he then grabs a protein-packed breakfast around 7.30am – munching scrambled egg on brown toast and Greek yoghurt.

Kelvin then heads off to training at 10am, which lasts 12 hours and goes on until around 10pm.

He revealed he eats around 3,000 calories a day, 500 more than the average recommended for men, to keep his energy up.

The actor also drinks around four litres of water every day to make sure he stays hydrated.


Kelvin Fletcher is paired up with pro Oti Mabuse ( 
Image:
DIGITAL/EROTEME.CO.UK

He says of his diet: “I’m on my feet all day. It’s quite tiring, so I’ve always been quite pro carbs – I think they’re a great thing. I probably eat about 300-350g of carbs a day.

“About 160g of protein, about 60-80g of fat, which I think is about 2,500-3,000 calories.

“Carbs get a bad press, but they’re pretty important. I’ve stayed pretty lean, I’m about five kilos lighter than I was a couple of months ago.

“Which is fine, I think – it helps with the dancing.”

Kelvin goes on to explain his lengthy dance training sessions, revealing he’s taught the moves on Monday and by Tuesday lunchtime he knows the routine by heart.

He then spends the rest of the week perfecting it.


They are currently the favourites to win ( 
Image:
BBC/Guy Levy)


The pair have been astounding viewers and the judges every week ( 
Image:
BBC)

However, the hunky telly star admits his hard core regime has taken a toll on family life as he barely gets anytime with his wife and kids.

He says: “I’ve only got my family in the morning from 7am until 8.15am, which is my dad time.

“It’s not a lot at all. By the time I get home I’ve missed bath time and story time – that’s a challenging thing…

“Every night I’m getting home late. I miss my 7pm tea – dinner, whatever you call your evening meal – and I’ll have it at 10.30pm at night.”

Kelvin does allow himself a once a week treat, revealing he sinks a beer on Friday nights to help him relax on the night before the big show.