Shayne Ward reveals very personal sacrifice he had to make for Strictly appearance

The erstwhile X Factor winner's relation connected the amusement caused a monolithic setback for him and fiancee Sophie Austin

Shayne Ward has revealed helium and fiancée Sophie Austin were readying to wed this twelvemonth - but cancelled aft helium landed a relation connected Strictly. 

The erstwhile X Factor winner, 39, has been engaged to Hollyoaks histrion Sophie since 2017 and they person children Willow, 8 and Reign, 2 together. But Shayne said luckily bride-to-be Sophie was afloat successful enactment of pushing their wedding backmost - arsenic she was the 1 who enactment him guardant for the ballroom amusement aft years of telling him helium should bash it.

Asked astir the couple's wedding plans, Shayne said: “It'll beryllium happening. Sophie and I were really looking astatine the extremity of this year, but we couldn't due to the fact that this unthinkable amusement happened. Strictly came along, and truthful we had to enactment the wedding connected hold. I've joked that possibly we could bash some together, and get joined aft the results show. But we person plentifulness of time.

"It was really Sophie who enactment maine guardant for the show. For galore years she's talked astir Strictly, she loves, loves the show, truthful each twelvemonth the euphony would travel connected and she'd whisper: 'You'd beryllium bully astatine this.' She ever had that content successful me, she'd say: 'I conscionable deliberation you'd truly bask it, and I privation radical to spot you.' This twelvemonth she said to me: 'Can I delight enactment your sanction forward?' and I said: 'Yeah' due to the fact that it felt similar the close time. So she did, and present I'm truthful blessed I said yes due to the fact that it's 1 of the champion things I've ever done."

Shayne, who impressed with his tango to The Door by Teddy Swims this week, exploded onto Strictly past week with a Samba routine. And portion the bulk of the comments helium received afterwards were supportive - helium admitted being upset by trolls who branded him “cocky” and “arrogant” online. As the pile-in continued, others criticised him for increasing retired his shaved caput and appearing with curls. But Shayne insisted helium wouldn’t fto the remarks get him down.

He said: “For me, I effort to lone absorption connected the positive, due to the fact that if you absorption connected the antagonistic you wouldn't past long. I wouldn't beryllium present if I focused connected the number of radical who accidental thing horrible. I conscionable permission them to it, due to the fact that I cognize that I'm not those things, and I'm fortunate that I've got unthinkable radical astir me. If the comments bash upset me, they upset maine due to the fact that I person 2 children, and it's not conscionable astir me. But astatine the extremity of the day, each I'm doing is dancing, and trying my best. And I'm precise blessed I person a bully caput of hair.

"My son's hairsbreadth is precisely the aforesaid - that's wherefore I person it similar this. When his hairsbreadth abruptly became each curly and long, I thought: 'They're my curls' and I embraced it and grew excavation longer. So erstwhile radical comment, that's fine. This acquisition is simply a once-in-a-lifetime accidental and it goes truthful rapidly that you person to bask it. I don't privation to get sidetracked by negativity - I conscionable privation to person the champion clip and springiness this show, and Nancy, my all."

Partner Nancy Xu said: "From time one, I knew Shayne was going to beryllium precise special. He has a notebook, and is perpetually penning notes astir things helium needs to enactment on. I'm caput blown by the details helium is asking maine about, truthful helium tin springiness the amusement his best. I interest due to the fact that I privation him to bask it, but past helium tells maine that helium is enjoying it and wants to enactment hard. I conscionable deliberation this is truly benignant and nice, and besides shows a existent respect for maine arsenic a person."

Shayne went on: “I americium ever practising, ever dancing astatine home. Sophie volition spot maine spell disconnected for a infinitesimal and cognize I'm going done the moves successful my head. And she volition accidental to me: 'Ok chill for a minute.' And past I tin perceive Nancy successful my caput saying: 'Chill, you've got this, relax."

He mightiness request assistance switching off, but Shayne says the 1 spot helium doesn’t conflict is with his kids. And helium told however Strictly isn’t the lone contention his household is taking connected this twelvemonth - arsenic girl Willow is besides competing successful a creation contest. He said: "What's truthful beauteous is that Willow's creation schoolhouse asked her to beryllium portion of a contention and execute with them, truthful not lone is she going to beryllium supporting maine with a banner astatine home, I'm going to beryllium making a banner for her. I'm going to beryllium successful the beforehand enactment astatine her competition, shouting: 'Go squad Willow.'

"She has been truthful saccharine since I started the show, she's conscionable truthful arrogant of daddy, she says: 'Daddy looks truthful handsome, daddy tin truly dance.' "Last nighttime connected It Takes Two, Janette gave maine a Strictly paddle with a 10, truthful she'll beryllium watching daddy with that." He went on: "I americium excited astir radical seeing maine arsenic I americium present connected the show. It volition beryllium 20 years adjacent twelvemonth since I did X Factor, and since past I've been blessed with truthful galore idiosyncratic and nonrecreational opportunities.

"I person 2 unthinkable children, and present everything I bash is for them. For me, it's bully that radical who person followed my vocation get to spot the household antheral I americium now, but besides that I haven't changed. I'm beauteous overmuch the aforesaid antheral I was backmost successful 2004, conscionable present with much toys to autumn over."

Strictly Come Da ncing returns contiguous astatine 6.15pm connected BBC1 and BBC iPlayer

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