‘You can’t cover it up’ Dan Walker’s tricky Strictly ‘problem’ detailed by former BBC pro

Ian Waite, 50, has shared his concerns over Dan Walker’s ability to “control” his limbs while appearing in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. The former show professional believes the statuesque BBC Breakfast host could have a “problem” with cutting awkward shapes, if he’s unable to tame his arms and legs.

Opening up on his thoughts towards Dan’s appearance on the show, Ian said: “So Dan is the same height as me – he’s 6ft 4in, so it’s not going to be easy to control those limbs, but I’m sure he’ll look very elegant in the ballroom dances.

“I think as long as he can control them, then it will be fine. The problem is if he makes awkward lines, it will stand out because he’s so big. You can’t cover it up. 

“If you’re smaller you don’t see it so much, but I’m sure he will look gorgeous with Nadiya [Bychkova], because she’s lovely and tall as well,” he added in his Radio Times column.

The presenter is appearing in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition alongside dance partner Nadiya, 32.

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“I’ll be a bit behind but back at [dancing emoji] next week.

“The NHS is amazing and I can’t tell you who my pro is but I can say she waited for hours in the car park to check I was ok. Whatever happens on TV, she has a friend for life.”

Strictly launched with seven million viewers last Saturday, the lowest audience since the series introduced a standalone “pairing up” show back in 2010.

It fell way behind last year’s opener – delayed because of Covid – which aired in October and pulled in 8.6 million viewers, the show’s highest launch since 2017 (8.8 million) and up 800,000 on the 2019 audience of 7.8 million.