Strictly Come Dancing's Shaun Wright-Phillips reveals how he will handle judges' criticism
Shaun Wright-Phillips is taking part in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, which kicks off with the launch show on Saturday (19.09.26).
Strictly Come Dancing's Shaun Wright-Phillips has vowed to take any criticism from the BBC show's judges on the chin.
The ex-England player insists he will not lose sleep over a bad score for his Latin and Ballroom dance routines, but will take Craig Revel Horwood, 61, Motsi Mabuse, 45, Shirley Ballas, 66, and 60-year-old Anton Du Beke's pointers on board and work harder to improve.
Shaun, 44, exclusively told BANG Showbiz on behalf of Betway: "You've just got to go with it. They're the experts. If I do get through, and if with negative marks, I'm going to take those negatives and work harder at those things. That's my plan with it."
The pundit is being firmly put out of his comfort zone by having signed up for Strictly Come Dancing to learn a new skill and give himself a new challenge.
And Shaun, whose 62-year-old dad is football star-turned-pundit Ian Wright, hopes it will give him the confidence to keep dancing long after his time in the competition has ended.
Asked how he would like Strictly Come Dancing to transform his life, the former winger said: "I would say it would be more that I would feel comfortable going to salsa clubs or if there was a ballroom night I wanted to go to, or something different, I could go there and have the confidence to go and do ballroom dancing.
"To just give me that confidence."
Joining Shaun on the show are EastEnders icon Lacey Turner, 38, Neighbours alum Delta Goodrem, 41, Love Island alums Cach Mercer, 25, and 30-year-old Dani Dyer - who withdrew last year due to an ankle injury - and 43-year-old celebrity hairstylist, Chris Appleton.
Big Brother host Will Best, 41, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, 48, Babs actress Jaime Winstone, 41, House of the Dragon's Bethany Antonia, 28, and dog trainer Graeme Hall, 60, are also taking to the dance floor.
Completing the line-up are Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb, 34, Olympic skeleton gold medallist Tabby Stoecker, 25, YouTube star John Nellis, 33, and 64-year-old Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday (19.09.26) when hosts Emma Willis, 50, Josh Widdicombe, 43, and Johannes Radebe, 39, introduce the contestants to their professional partners on the launch show.
The live competition format kicks off the following week, Saturday, September 26.
However, the first results show and elimination will not air until Sunday, October 4, and it has been confirmed that the winners of this year's Glitterball Trophy will be revealed on Saturday, December 19.
