Strictly Come Dancing pro Nancy Xu needed a push from show's choreographer last week

It paid dividends for her and Will Mellor.

By Dan Seddon

2 Dec 2022

BBC

Strictly Come Dancing's Nancy Xu needed a push from a backstage choreographer during training for her and Will Mellor's high-scoring Charleston last week.

As the ballroom pair appeared together on spin-off show It Takes Two yesterday (December 1), presenter Janette Manrara made reference to the pro dancer's recent struggles.

Chuckling, Will recalled: "There were a few moments where Jenny, the choreographer, went, 'Just watch what Will's doing!' And I was like, 'Hey!'."

"So I told Nancy, 'I'll film it and I'll show you where you're going wrong, Nancy'. Because usually she's got the whip out going, 'Do it again!'," he joked.

"It's true, though isn't it?" Will continued, turning to his pro partner. "She was getting angry with herself and I was like, 'Yeah! The shoe's on the other foot'."

When asked by Janette whether she considered last weekend's routine to be a risk, Nancy said: "I did worry but on the other side, I said, 'Come on, let's do it'.

"The music itself is not really that traditional. So you don't want to make the choreo and the music too complicated like in a different way. You want them to match, and this is an amazing moment to show the audience how much we can give to the show."

BBC

Elsewhere in the pair's interview on It Takes Two, Will reflected on his knackered knees.

"I'm getting on, I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing," said the Coronation Street star.

"I was always a bit afraid I'd get through the competition with my knees the way they are, from old football injuries and operations and stuff. But the physio team have really looked after me and I've protected them as much as I could, and I've done all right and they're holding up."

Strictly Come Dancing next airs tonight (December 2) at 8pm on BBC One, with a results show on Saturday (December 3) at 5.40pm. Spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows also stream on BBC iPlayer.

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