Chris McCausland’s devastating diagnosis that left him blind aged 22

Chris McCausland has charmed viewers since being formed on Strictly Come Dancing.

The 47-year-old is best known for his stand-up drama enactment and playing Rudi successful the CBeebies amusement Me Too!.

Over the years helium has besides appeared successful Have I Got News for You, 8 Our of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Richard Osman’s House of Games and Not Going Out, arsenic good arsenic successful the world bid Scared of the Dark past year.

But since hitting the dancefloor past week he’s besides stunned fans with his dancing skills, as good arsenic his speedy wit.

‘I’m excessively knackered to care, mate!’, quipped the Liverpudlian aft receiving disapproval from the notoriously hard to delight Craig Revel Horwood.

Aside from being a dancing novice, Chris’ efforts person been each the much awesome owed to the information helium mislaid his show much than 2 decades ago.

Who is Chris McCausland?

Born successful 1977 successful Liverpool, Chris went connected to survey bundle engineering but aft a stint arsenic a web developer, helium worked successful income for respective years, during which clip helium started performing stand-up comedy.

He past enactment connected shows astatine the Edinburgh Festival earlier appearing successful a drawstring of drama sheet shows.  

The comedian past besides appeared arsenic marketplace trader Rudi successful Me Too!, which aired from 2006 until 2016.

He’s besides appeared successful EastEnders and fronted travelogue bid The Wonders of the World I Can’t See, which aired past year.

A fewer months ago, his Saturday greeting chats however The Chris McCausland Show besides launched connected ITV.

A period aboriginal helium was announced arsenic 1 of the stars who had signed up to Strictly, becoming the archetypal unsighted contestant to look connected the show.

How did the comedian spell blind?

Chris was 22 erstwhile helium was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary information that causes progressive imaginativeness nonaccomplishment owed to the degeneration of cells successful the retina.

This uncommon oculus illness dilatory diminishes the retina’s function, starring to a gradual nonaccomplishment of sight.

He antecedently spoke astir the information with the one paper and however others successful his household were besides affected.

‘My grandma had it, and my mum. Basically, I’d been going unsighted precise dilatory since I was born, and truthful didn’t adjacent truly announcement it happening,’ helium said.

Chris besides explained however being unsighted impacted his different senses.

‘They accidental that erstwhile you suffer your sight, your proceeding gets better. It doesn’t. But you bash wage much attraction to it. So, erstwhile you’re sat astatine a formation resort, and you’re hot, and you can’t spot what’s astir you, past you conscionable extremity up concentrating connected however blistery you really are. I endure much for it,’ helium said.

Ahead of the show’s premiere, Chris besides said being connected Strictly was some a situation for himself and Dianne, who has ne'er taught idiosyncratic who is blind.

‘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,’ helium said.

Although producers initially offered to person a typical from an organisation teaching radical with ocular impairments assistance coordinate grooming betwixt him and Dianne, helium ‘didn’t similar the idea’ and alternatively chose to ‘blunder’ his mode done training.

‘In my opinion, the constituent of it is for my spouse to larn however to thatch maine and maine to larn a creation from her and that’s for america to fig it retired together. We’ll marque mistakes and we’ll person a laughter on the mode and that’ll marque for amended VTs successful the week, really,’ helium added.

How overmuch is helium inactive capable to see?

When appearing connected Scared of the Dark past twelvemonth Chris besides spoke astir however helium is capable to ‘still spot airy and space’ and possesses ‘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’.

Reflecting connected losing his sight, helium besides shared: ‘Yes it was painful. 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.’

Despite the obstacles, Chris and Dianne were fixed an awesome people of 23 from the Strictly judges aft their cha cha cha connected Saturday’s unrecorded show.

However, helium did erstwhile admit helium believed being connected the amusement was unlikely.

‘I didn’t deliberation I could bash it due to the fact that I virtually couldn’t spot what’s expected of me. And due to the fact that I don’t ticker it, I don’t person an attachment to the format,’ helium said.

‘But I’d alternatively bash thing I had nary cognition of than marque a amusement I knew everything about. I’m bully astatine making drama retired of failure, but I’m going to instrumentality this seriously.’

Speaking astir representing disablement connected screen, Chris besides said helium wanted it to beryllium done subtly.

‘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,’ helium said.

However, helium did gag of his determination to motion up to the show: ‘If anybody retired determination is reasoning – How the hellhole is helium going to bash that? – past remainder assured that I americium reasoning precisely the aforesaid thing.’

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday astatine 6.15pm connected BBC One.

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