Entertainment
Fleur East tearfully reveals signing up to Strictly Come Dancing ‘for her dad’: ‘I’m doing it for him’-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro
The singer is the 12th celeb announced in the line-up.
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Fleur East has tearfully revealed she’s honouring her late dad as she dusts off her dancing shoes for Strictly Come Dancing.
The singer was announced as the 12th celebrity to join this year’s line-up, saying she’s ‘excited to learn new skills’ and wants to ‘soak up every moment of this magical experience.’
The 34-year-old also revealed how much this meant to her family, as she’ll be honouring her father who was a big Strictly fan.
Fleur’s dad Malcolm ‘Max’ East died from a heart attack in 2020, during lockdown.
Speaking to Ranvir Singh on Lorraine today, Fleur became emotional as she remembered her dad.
‘For me it’s sentimental because my dad, who passed away in 2020, Strictly was his favourite show,’ she shared.
‘I’m just going to be doing it for him.
The singer was named as the 12th celebrity to join Strictly Come Dancing 2022 (Picture: Getty)
Fleur’s dad died in 2020 of a heart attack (Picture: Instagram/fleureast)
‘I’m gutted he can’t see me do it, but I’m going to keep him in mind when I’m doing the show.’
She added: ‘My family for that reason are going to be buzzing.’
Fleur also shared how excited her husband Marcel is, saying: ‘He cannot wait for me to do this, he’s going to be like my coach at home.’
Fleur revealed how excited her husband Marcel is (Picture: Samir Hussein/Getty Images)
The Sax singer added that she feels ‘so nervous’ amid the ‘pressure’ of the ballroom.
She said: ‘I can dance in the club and on stage but I’ve never done any technical dancing.
‘Put me on TikTok and I’m away, but this ballroom is a different level.’
Fleur added: ‘I’m honestly terrified about the level of technique to learn,’ continuing: ‘I’ll be out of my depth!’
She’s pretty nervous to be entering the ballroom (Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Last year, Fleur opened up about the loss of her dad and the grief she faced during lockdown.
‘It’s quite daunting coming out of lockdown for so many reasons but especially because we lost my dad at the start of the pandemic so for us we relate going into lockdown with the loss of my dad,’ she shared.
‘So we’ve had, in some ways, the fortunate time of being able to grieve in private and not having to face everyone.
Fleur opened up about the loss of her father (Picture: Instagram/fleureast)
‘But it almost feels like the world has stopped with our grief and now, when the world goes back to normal, it’s going to be weird to adjust to normal life without my dad because I haven’t experienced that. It’s a scary thought actually doing that.’
When her father died Fleur posted a lovely message to Instagram honouring her dad.
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Crediting Malcolm with ‘swagger in abundance’, ’an unforgettable presence’ and being ‘loved by so many’, expressed her loss in a positive, loving way.
‘Daddy East, Max, the ultimate G!’ she wrote. ‘What a man you were! So young at heart, always living in the moment!’
Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV.
What we know about Strictly Come Dancing 2022 so far
Who are the judges?
Head judge Shirley Ballas will be joined once again by fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.
Anton Du Beke will also be returning to judge, after it was confirmed that he would be officially replacing Bruno Tonioli.
Who are the new professional dancers?
There are four new pros joining the line-up: Vito Coppola, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Michelle Tsiakkas.
Which professional dancers have left?
After the 2021 season, it was announced that fan-favourite pros Oti Mabuse and Aljaž Škorjanec would not be returning for the 2022 series.
Will there be a studio audience?
Yes – following past restrictions put in place due to the pandemic, the full studio audience is set to return this year, while the see-through dividers between the judges will also be removed.
When is the show returning?
The BBC has revealed that the launch show for the 2022 series is due to be recorded on Wednesday September 7.
Therefore, it’s likely that it will air a few days later on Saturday September 10, although the exact date of the first episode is yet to be disclosed.
Find out more about Strictly 2022 here.
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