Seann Walsh overcomes Strictly scandal hell and returns to BBC primetime-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

Seann Walsh is back on BBC primetime (Picture: BBC)

Seann Walsh has bagged himself a guest starring role on one of the BBC’s primetime shows.

The comedian will be featuring in the hour-long Christmas special of Beyond Paradise as a maverick inventor called Colin.

Arriving at this big moment didn’t seem so conceivable just seven years ago when Seann, 39, was at the centre of one of Strictly’s biggest scandals.

However, after showcasing his personality on an entirely different reality show to win the public back around, he’s managed to continue with a flourishing career.

Let’s take a look at Seann’s interesting journey so far…

What happened on Strictly Come Dancing?

Seann and Katya were spotted kissing (Picture: BBC)

His ability to make people laugh with his observational jokes meant that Seann was slowly rising through the comedy ranks.

He was a success story at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012, and was often touring his material across the UK. Alongside his solo pursuits, Josh Widdicombe became a regular comedy partner, with the pair joining up for a show entitled Ying and Young.

After years of graft, Seann was given the chance to participate in one of the biggest UK shows in 2018, which promised to open himself up to a new audience and catapult him to another level. But after three weeks a scandal became the talking point…

Who did Sean Walsh kiss from Strictly?

They carried on dancing together after the pictures became public (Picture: BBC/Guy Levy)

Partnered with Katya Jones, things started off well for the pair with some pleasing performances including an impressive Matrix-style Pasa Doble.

However, the positive mood changed when Seann and Katya were spotted kissing outside of a pub in London. The incident caused outrage as Katya, 35, was married to fellow professional dancer Neil Jones and Seann had been in a relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries for five years.

‘I left the wardrobe department and before I could order my first beer, my agent came over and asked if he could have a word with me outside,’ Seann explained of the events that unfolded

‘I thought, “He is going to tell me I have got Michael McIntyre’s Big Show! I had better act surprised!” Turns out, I didn’t have to act surprised.’

He said they went into the BBC car park and his agent ‘looked over his glasses’ and told Seann: ‘About 20 minutes ago, they posted a photo of you kissing Katya outside a pub.’

‘I was at that exact point that my life would turn upside down – the dream turned into a nightmare.’

Seann and Rebecca had been together for five years (Picture: Dan Wooller/Shutterstock)

A few days after the images were made public, Rebecca released a statement on social media, revealing that the night that Seann cheated, she was sitting ‘alone at home’ on her birthday.

Rebecca also revealed that she’d previously had suspicions that something ‘inappropriate’ was going on, but Seann had denied. They split as a result of the betrayal. Neil forgave Katya but the couple broke up ten months later, but they’ve been able to remain friends.

Both Seann and Katya issued public apologies about what they both referred to as a ‘one-off drunken mistake’. They also appeared on spin-off show It Takes Two to further apologise. Following the scandal, Katya and Seann were eliminated in week six.

Seann has since reflected on the fallout, calling it ‘horrific’ and ‘crazy’. Speaking on Amazon Prime Video’s Backstage With Katherine Ryan in 2022, he added: ‘I can’t go near anything Strictly, I can’t. It just messes my head up.’ However, he hopes that he can one day ‘look back at that fondly, that first few weeks,’ referring to it as ‘the best time of my life.’

What is Seann Walsh up to now?

Seann made it to the final five (Picture: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)

Four years after one of the most famous examples of the ‘Strictly curse’, Seann opted to take part in another reality show – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

Although Seann, who had gone sober and started therapy, was still initially scared to put himself back out there, he was convinced to sign up by partner Grace Adderley.

‘As you can imagine I was very scared after the last time I was on a big show because the fallout was not something you would want to go back to,’ Seann said ahead of his entrance.

‘Grace talked me into doing it. She convinced me it was the wrong attitude to have not doing it because I feared what people would think, but to do it because I would have a wonderful time.’

Seann is now a father (Picture: Instagram / Seann Walsh)

Seann survived two weeks in the jungle, making it into the final five. He won viewers’ votes with lighter moments including his ‘spot on’ celebrity impressions, but also more serious conversations around mental health and his father, who is a heroin addict.

Since his stint, Seann has experienced a big life change – he is now a proud father to daughter Wylda. Outside of his personal life, Seann was able to use the positive exposure to further his career. He posts short joke videos on Instagram for his engaged fandom, and was back on tour with Back to Bed in 2023/2024 – a version of which can be viewed on his YouTube channel. This is a particular triumph as Seann has previously spoken about only a handful of people turning up to watch him after his Strictly experience.

Seann, the dog dad of cockapoo Mildred-Barrett, also presents the podcast, Oh My Dog!, with Jack Dee which focuses on their love of the canine.

What will happen in tonight’s Beyond Paradise?

Look out for Seann in tonight’s episode (Picture: BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Joss Barrett)

The synopsis teases: ‘When recently widowed Bob Holland (Mark Heap) is ordered to leave his home by a vision of his late wife Linda (Rosalind Adler), he is thrown into emotional turmoil, a vivid reminder of his harrowing grief.

‘Deeply disturbed by this series of troubling events, he turns to his friend Anne (Barbara Flynn) for comfort, who shares his encounters with the Shipton Abbott police team.

‘Unsure whether Bob’s ghostly visions are a manifestation of grief or something more sinister, Humphrey and Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) get to work unravelling the mystery.’

This is when Seann arrives on the scene as he plays the son-in-law of Bob: ‘Bob’s daughter Fiona (Tamla Kari) and her husband, a maverick inventor Colin (Seann Walsh), appear stumped and concerned when deliberating who could be behind this ghostly apparition.’

Beyond Paradise airs tonight on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm.

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