BREAKING NEWS: Strictly Star George Clarke Admits the Show Left Him ‘Uncomfortable’ in a Shockingly Honest Confession That Has Fans Wondering What Was Really Going On Behind the Scenes
George Clarke has admitted he felt “uncomfortable” when he started Strictly Come Dancing. The TikTok star, 26, is currently paired with Alexis Warr on the BBC Saturday night favourite, and is hoping that he will make it through to the final next week.
But the influencer, who faces competition from West End actress Amber Davies, Lioness Karen Carney and Balvinder Sopal of EastEnders fame, has now thanked his fans for his support as he insisted that he is “not a performer” to start with but thinks he might have a chance of getting one step closer to the Glitterball Trophy.
He wrote on Instagram: “Honestly, last night was hands down the most fun we’ve had this whole competition. The general theme for us throughout has been to let go and I think it’s safe to say we did! In the launch show it looked uncomfortable to simply stand on some steps and clap, 12 weeks later and we’re devoting a twerk solo to Craig.
“We are so so grateful always for the support and for the opportunity each week to be able to grow and learn and now we’re one results show away from the final.
“I’m (George) not a performer, never mind a dancer, but I think nights like last night make me believe that maybe changing, fingers crossed that we get one final week to prove it! Love you all, Team Warrkey.” In Saturday’s semi-final, George donned a striking sparkly red outfit as he and Alexis performed a Samba set to Gipsy Kings track Volare for their first dance of the evening, earning a score of 35.
For their second dance of the night, the pair rocked a set of school uniforms as they did the Charleston set to We No Speak Americano, and were awarded a 37, bringing their total to 72 for the evening. It came after the social media star told fans what the ballroom really looks like, admitting the studio is considerably smaller and rather different from how it appears on television.
Chatting on The Useless Hotline podcast with co-host Max Balegde, George shared his initial reaction upon seeing the set for the first time. “It was really interesting because I’ve seen it live before in Blackpool, which is obviously a much bigger place. The studio is quite small,” he said. Max cheekily responded: “I thought that when I first saw the studio. I was like, ‘Oh, this is s**t’.”
George quickly jumped in to clarify: “Oh, it’s not s**t. It’s just smaller. You’re just like, ‘Oh… this is what it is…'” Having made it through to the semi-finals of the long-running dance show, George revealed how clever production techniques create the illusion of a much larger space on screen.
“The dance floor itself looks so much bigger on TV than it does in real life,” he explained. “It looks like two different rooms to what I’m seeing.”
George went on to say that even the contestants rely on monitors dotted around the studio to see how their performances come across to viewers watching at home.
“They have little tiny TVs up in the rafters so you can watch what it would look like on the camera,” Clarke said. “I’d look up there occasionally and be like, ‘It looks like two different rooms.’” George also commended the judges, highlighting the physical demands of their role that viewers do not typically see.
“It is very interesting how good the judges are at the job,” he said. “From where they’re sat, they physically have to move out of the way and look around at everything. What you don’t see on TV is that they’re actually on the floor doing laps around us. They’re doing so much exercise.”
“Shirley [Ballas] was doing cartwheels,” he quipped. “I was like, ‘Calm down, love.’” In another anecdote, George recalled an unexpected moment that was caught on camera. While seated on the sidelines, he suddenly spotted himself during a live segment with host Tess Daly.
