‘I’m one of Strictly’s biggest stars – fans have no idea what I look like’

He whitethorn beryllium 1 of lone a fewer stars to person appeared connected each seasons of Strictly Come Dancing, but even loyal fans of the amusement mightiness not know what Tommy Blaize looks like.

The singer, whose vocation spans 5 decades, joined the BBC dancing bid when it began successful 2004.

Over the years he’s sung unrecorded every week, performing to millions crossed the state arsenic portion of the show’s unrecorded band.

But portion the spotlight is shone connected the personage contestants, their creation partners and the judging panel, Tommy is often heard and not seen.

After stepping onto signifier for his archetypal solo circuit past twelvemonth though, Tommy admits he’s present much comfy with the thought of gaining a nationalist illustration too.

Despite Strictly present being a regular portion of galore people’s play viewing, erstwhile it began, adjacent those who had signed up weren’t that convinced it could spell anywhere.

‘I don’t deliberation immoderate of america thought it would past this long. I retrieve speaking with Len (Goodman) connected the opening amusement and helium came up to maine and said, “what are you doing adjacent week?” and saying helium didn’t deliberation the amusement was going to past long,’ Tommy told Metro.

‘It’s 1 of those things we laughed astir for years and years after…and present it’s 20 years later.’

Although Tommy said Len, who died past twelvemonth aged 78, did ‘eventually instrumentality back’ his archetypal comments, they utilized to ‘jest astir it rather a lot’.

Now, adjacent aft 20 years successful the job, Tommy admitted each week could inactive beryllium ‘nerve wracking’.

‘I americium fortunate to beryllium successful a gig wherever we play to millions of radical a week and you are bound to beryllium nervous, but it’s a affirmative energy,’ helium explained.

Each week Tommy, the different singers and the set larn up to 18 songs, practicing them astir 10 times each.

‘It tin beryllium wholly bonkers and sometimes we get earworm and can’t get escaped of definite songs,’ helium revealed.

At times the inevitable has happened, catastrophe has struck, and he’s mislaid his voice, but the demands of the occupation means Tommy needs to ‘struggle connected through’.

Although those progressive successful Strictly are often heaped with praise, immoderate viewers bash crockery retired harsh opinions astir the performances of not lone the dancers, but the singers too.

However, Tommy said helium ‘tends to instrumentality nary announcement of it arsenic good due to the fact that I americium truthful focused connected what I’m doing’.

‘I deliberation erstwhile societal media archetypal came out, we would look astatine it but past I realised I needed to get connected with enactment and not perceive to what radical retired determination are saying,’ helium added.

There’s important unit connected Tommy and his squad to get everything close each week, nevertheless 1 of his ‘biggest fears’ implicit the years has been tackling songs successful different languages.

‘I’ve sung successful Korean, German, Spanish, French and adjacent Tamil which was superb and challenging,’ helium recalled.

‘When you get the songs, you deliberation you’ll ne'er beryllium capable to bash it but get it aft hours and hours and it comes live with the band.’

Although Tommy said helium sometimes disquieted helium mightiness gaffe up and accidental the incorrect connection oregon pronounce it incorrectly, it’s a situation helium relishes.

As Tommy describes it, helium has ‘the champion spot successful the world’ erstwhile getting to beryllium beforehand and centre seeing the couples instrumentality to the dancefloor.

It was a show from conscionable a fewer weeks agone that helium singled retired erstwhile asked what had been immoderate of the astir memorable for him.

‘I americium a monolithic Liverpool fan, and I had the accidental to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone for Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell and it was a beauteous moment,’ helium said.

‘It was arranged into a waltz mentation of the opus and the constituent wherever they separated, and helium walked alone, and they came backmost and met each different – that was truly thing special. That got to me, and it was truly hard to sing done that.’

That show earned the mates a people of 35 from the judges.

Tommy besides said the moments wherever the euphony stopped during Rose Ayling- Ellis’ clip connected the amusement successful 2021 was ‘really powerful’.

The determination was done successful a tribute to the deaf community, with the EastEnders histrion being deaf since birth.

However, there’s besides been immoderate jaw-dropping moments wherever things person gone precise wrong.

In a 2006 occurrence of Strictly, cricketer Mark Ramprakash and his creation spouse Karen Hardy were forced to halt their show aft their microphones became tangled successful their clothes.

‘There is ever a wardrobe malfunction,’ Tommy said.

‘Bruce (Forsyth) rescued the concern arsenic helium would do. That happened successful beforehand of the full nation. You could spot determination was a occupation and I’m looking astatine Dave (Arch, the show’s philharmonic director) wondering if we should halt the music, and we yet did

‘Bruce ran connected and rescued them and past we were allowed to commencement again. Moments similar that – it’s unrecorded TV – we expect things similar that to happen.’

Last twelvemonth Tommy was convinced it was clip to measurement retired solo connected stage, performing 51 shows astir the country, with others present scheduled for 2025 too.

‘It was thing I wasn’t definite I wasn’t going to enjoy, particularly being unsocial connected signifier with nary set and maine playing instruments but I recovered it was truly similar a tonic and an antidote to everything other we do,’ helium said.

Tommy was conscionable nine-years-old erstwhile helium started performing arsenic portion of the Blaize Brothers radical with his 2 siblings successful 1972.

He’s since gone connected to enactment with immoderate of the world’s biggest musicians including Stevie Wonder, Queen, The Beach Boys, Diana Ross, Amy Winehouse, Phil Collins, Robbie Williams, and Joe Cocker.

After 20 years, he’s got nary plans to permission Strictly anytime soon though.

‘To beryllium capable to sing successful beforehand of the full federation with a set of that calibre each week – that’s what draws maine back,’ helium said.

Strictly Come Dancing continues contiguous astatine 6.45pm connected BBC One.

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