BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland reveals daughter's fear ahead of first live show

Comic Chris McCausland, the first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, has opened up about his daughter's fears for his safety on the dance floor.

The 47 year old comedian shared in his column for The Telegraph that his 10 year old daughter Sophie is worried he might take a tumble. "I showed my 10-year-old daughter a clip of the show and asked her if I should do it. 'No, Daddy,' she said. 'You'll fall off the stage and break your leg.' She's a joker at heart, but she's got a point," he joked.

Chris also joked about the potential hazards, saying, "Not quite the ringing endorsement other celebrities get. But I've checked and there is no stage so the joke's on her..." He added humorously, "I sincerely hope they will have wrapped the cameras in layers of foam just in case. I can see myself taking out three of them in a single foxtrot."

Despite the jests, Chris, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa which caused him to lose his sight at 22, admitted to being "terrified" of participating. He expressed his anxiety: "Have I mentioned that I was terrified? I mean, how can I possibly have confidence in my ability to do something when I can't see the entirely visual thing that I'm being asked to do?"

He continued, highlighting the pressure of live television: "On top of that, stick it on live TV where failures are there for everybody to see and where the chance of a generous edit is absolute zero, and what could possibly go wrong? Well, too many things, and that was my problem."

Chris, who is dancing with Dianne Buswell on 'Strictly', previously shared his strategy of improvisation for the show. He told the press: "We'll make it up as we go along and figure it out. Sometimes I think it might be better for me to feel where my partner's legs are going, and sometimes it would be better for her to just pick up my leg and put it where it's supposed to be."

Speaking earlier this week, Chris said he did not want to do Strictly Come Dancing when he was repeatedly asked, and has spoken about how he was persuaded to change his mind. The comic explained how "didn’t want to do Strictly at first, I didn’t, I was asked a few times to do, like last year’s and the Christmas special and I didn’t”"

However, the 47-year-old says he is "very easily persuaded into things by people" flattering him. He added that there is not "a lot of pointers" from listening to it, so he does not have "any kind of attachment to the idea of it", but thinks it will be good to be out of his "comfort zone".

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