Perri Kiely: All I want for Christmas is…to chill and forget about the outside world-Lucy Norris-Entertainment – Metro

Perri Kiely’s reflecting on the past 365 days and revealing his hopes for the future (Picture: Getty Images)

Welcome to Metro.co.uk’s All I want for Christmas is… series where we’re exploring our beloved famous faces’ deepest desires ahead of December 25.

We first got to know Perri Kiely as the Diversity dance troupe member with the fantastically big hair – but since his Britain’s Got Talent days, the professional back-flipper’s well and truly found his own feet. 

Still touring with the group that beat out Susan Boyle to win the talent show in 2009, the 27-year-old has made appearances on shows like Celebs Go Dating, Bake Off and Dancing on Ice. 

You’ll find him most mornings chatting on KISS FM’s breakfast hour which he hosts with fellow dancer Jordan Banjo and, if you’re not into radio, he’s dancing up a storm to his 2.6million followers on TikTok. 

But what’s next for the talented star and what lessons has he learnt from over a decade of life in the glare of the sparkling limelight? Let’s ask and see!

Can you tell me what the highest and lowest points of the last year have been for you? 

The dancer first found fame as part of the dance troupe Diversity (Picture: Getty Images)

It sounds generic but at the same time, just being busy and continuing to branch out into so many directions. 

I’m a huge fan of the saying “fake it ‘till you make it”. It’s so true because I feel like when you look at all these people in big job roles and stuff, everyone starts somewhere. I mean yes, they’re professional now and they’re doing their thing but everyone has had to put that graft in so I like the fact that – especially this year – I’ve had so many random things come at me and I’ve rose to the occasion. 

I’m happy, I’ve managed to kind of tackle it and give it my best shot and I’m proud of those moments. 

The low points –  luckily, I don’t have many low points and I think it’s so nice. 

I would say technically, the low points are when something can get on top of you and you’re doing too much but I’m so lucky that I have such a tight knit group of people that we all care about each other. 

We’ve all got each other’s backs. I feel like if I was on my own doing everything it could get way too much for me so I’m just lucky in that sense.

He now presents on KISS’s breakfast programme week days with Jordan Banjo (Picture: Getty Images)

You stepped into the limelight with Diversity so what was it like when you started to find your own feet and do things as Perri, by yourself?

Oh I just think it’s fun. I’m not actually naturally the type of person to do things on my own so I won’t lie, it is a bit old. 

Even on an everyday thing like as small going to the shops alone, or going to watch a show or go to the cinema – if I see someone sitting down in a restaurant on their own, I wish that could be me. 

I’m just not that person but I put myself in those situations still and just kind of go for it. It is really, really cool.

If you had a biggest lesson that you’ve learned over the last 12 months, do you know what that would be?

I’ve defo learnt this year that I’m a bit of a control freak so I’m going to go the opposite way here and actually say that not everything goes the way you plan it out. 

I feel like I’m one of those people that’s like, “ok I’ll do this and that and then that will lead to this and it’ll be fine”. It never ever works the way you picture it in your mind so you’ve always just got to trust that that process is the one that’s going to get you to where you need to be. 

I genuinely do believe that eventually it will all work out, sometimes you’ve just got to push through and that can be really tough but you will get there. 

Trust the process.

You work hard to create innovative content online. What do you think it is about your ‘brand’ that’s attracting new opportunities – such as your fraud awareness campaign? 

I feel like I’m someone who’s quite relatable. People see my content all the time and might be like, “okay, I think that’s legit. I know who Perri is, he’s verified on all these apps as well so it must be legit.”

That’s what’s so cool about the campaign [NatWest’s Honest Job Ad for awareness against money muling] and the video that we shot. I’ve had so many people come up to me and be like, “Oh my god I fully felt that, it’s done its job absolutely perfectly”. It’s a really cool project to be a part of.

If you could predict it, where do you think your life is going to take you next? 

I’d just like opportunities to pop up to take myself out of my comfort zone but I’m also excited for the things that are already planned and ready to go. 

I’m on the radio every single morning with Jordan so that will still be going on every day which is great and we’re heading off on tour again next year. 

I’m excited to get out and perform again properly with the rest of the gang. It’ll be another busy one but I’m ready to also take more and learn the lessons and give things a try and also fail a bit, you know, to try and learn from things.

What’s life on the road really like, then?

It’s one of the best times of the year!

We’re super tight knit group of people and it’s the fact that we all still love what we do and we’re dancing to thousands of people every single night and just knowing that when you go out on stage, people have come to watch you.

We can get so easily caught up in it and it can easily become normality but when you stop and you actually deep what’s going on in that moment, it’s insane.

We’re on a tour bus, we’re in hotels and performing to all these people – we’re living the dream, so yeah it is incredible.

Perri has appeared solo on numerous TV shows including Dancing on Ice (Picture: Getty Images)

So Perri, if you could have anything for Christmas what would it be?

I’m not trying to be cringy here but I think just being with family. Everything’s so busy all the time and times are so tough at the minute. 

There’s so much stress out in the world so having that time to just chill with your family and forget about the outside world for a brief moment – I think it’s something that the world kind of needs. So I’m really looking forward to cherishing that moment and taking it in. 

Everything’s getting worse. We have one problem then we’re fine – well not fine but we’re pushing through it – and then another one, and then another and another. 

People are literally at breaking point. So if I could relieve the world of all this stress, even a little part and help some of it then I’m here for it. 

NatWest’s Honest Job Ad starring Perri Kiely, is available to view here and aims to highlight the true nature of money muling and the consequences if convicted. Sixty-two percent of all money mule cases this year have been linked to under 30’s, with recruiters using online job adverts to target people on social media. 

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