BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland devastating four words about going blind

Strictly Come Dancing contestant and comedian Chris McCausland talked astir his acquisition of going unsighted connected Channel 4 amusement Scared of The Dark and revealed the scary truth

Comedian and Strictly prima Chris McCausland revealed helium got himself into immoderate "bad situations" erstwhile helium archetypal went unsighted and shared however it felt physically erstwhile his eyes started to fail.

Funny antheral Chris McCausland is making past arsenic the archetypal unsighted contestant to look connected the BBC ’s Strictly Come Dancing successful the 20 years since the amusement has been connected air. Producers offered the 47 twelvemonth aged the accidental to person idiosyncratic from an organisation teaching radical with ocular impairments to assistance coordinate grooming betwixt himself and his spouse Dianne Buswell but helium turned it down, preferring to enactment it retired betwixt themselves. Dianne has ne'er taught idiosyncratic who is unsighted but Chris explained: "We’re conscionable gonna person to fig it retired arsenic we spell along. The accumulation squad are conscionable being truly flexible. My creation spouse is figuring retired however to thatch me. And we are winging it. That’s the champion mode I think."

It was during his quality connected different amusement that comedian Chris, who is joined with 1 daughter, revealed what it was similar erstwhile helium started to suffer his sight. He starred successful Channel 4 ’s Scared of the Dark successful 2023, alongside 7 different celebrated faces arsenic they tried to past successful a bunker for 8 days portion successful full darkness.

Chris was asked by Love Island prima Chloe Burrows if it wounded erstwhile helium started to suffer his show and his reply was heartbreaking: "Yes it was painful," helium said frankly. "I haven't been capable to spot for 20 years. When it started happening it was scary and embarrassing. I got myself into atrocious situations due to the fact that I didn't privation to inquire for help. I volition ne'er beryllium connected a level playing tract with everyone else. But with this amusement and giving everyone my information it has been a joyousness to beryllium portion of it!" He besides revealed that helium tin "still spot airy and space" and has "an consciousness of the abstraction astir me, not successful presumption of objects and things, but successful presumption of the country and whether determination mightiness beryllium thing successful beforehand of me".

The TV prima mislaid his show aged 22 owed to a hereditary information called retinitis pigmentosa. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is simply a radical of uncommon oculus diseases that impact the retina - the light-sensitive furniture of insubstantial successful the backmost of the eye. RP makes cells successful the retina interruption down dilatory implicit time, causing imaginativeness loss.

When it comes to representing disablement connected screen, Chris believes subtlety tin beryllium much impactful. He said connected the C4 show: "My cognition has ever been to correspond by not banging you implicit the head. I deliberation the champion mode to correspond a disablement is to marque radical hide astir it whenever possible. It’s ever portion of you." He has spoken astir his Strictly rehearsal acquisition truthful acold and explained that adapting to wearing caller dancing shoes was the archetypal hurdle. "The portion of the occupation for maine is wearing shoes that I’m not utilized to walking in," helium said. "I can’t consciousness the level done the shoes properly."

Strictly Come Dancing airs connected Saturday evenings connected BBC1.