Strictly Come Dancing star Nina Wadia has revealed that there's one aspect of taking part in the show that she isn't enjoying at all – and it's not the intense training hours.
The former EastEnders actress has admitted during a press conference that she actually doesn't enjoy all the glamour associated with the dancing competition, answering a question about her experience of being 'Strictly-fied' with "I hate it!" Yikes.
With glittery outfits and sparkly props on the horizon, Nina isn't looking forward to the process of getting ready for the live shows, saying that she isn't a fan of sitting in the makeup chair.
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"When I played Zainab Masood in EastEnders, I was like, 'Don't worry about her hair and makeup. Just make her as plain as possible!'" she said (via OK!). "I'm very much a T-shirt and jeans girl, but I do get dressed up for the things I've had to do like TV appearances.
"I don't like sitting in the makeup chair for too long. I don't like pulling on my hair and shiny things just scratch me and irritate me actually. This is the best show for me to be doing isn't it!"
Despite her dislike of the glitzy side of Strictly, Nina, who admitted that she was "terrified" when she was confirmed as a contestant on the new series, added that she is throwing herself into her rehearsals and is keen to develop her dancing skills.
"Oh, yeah, I will take it seriously. I do that for any job I do – that's just me," she said. "But, I need to have the comedy there in order to get through it because I can't take the glitz and glamour side of it seriously.
Related: Emmerdale's Isabel Hodgins on if she'd do Strictly
"What I can take seriously is the actual technical stuff. I genuinely want to learn how to do these dances."
The 19th series of Strictly will kick off this Saturday (September 18) with its launch show, which will see this year's batch of celebrity contestants paired up with their professional dance partners.
Nina will be competing against McFly musician Tom Fletcher, comedian Robert Webb, presenter AJ Odudu, Great British Bake Off's John Whaite and CBBC star Rhys Stephenson.
They'll be joined by Dragons' Den's Sara Davies, Coronation Street turned Hollyoaks actress Katie McGlynn, BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, presenter and daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Tilly Ramsay, actor Greg Wise, EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, Loose Women's Judi Love and former England rugby player Ugo Monye.
Related: Strictly shares first-look trailer for 2021 series
The professionals ready to be paired up with the budding dancers include returning pros Aljaž Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Oti Mabuse, Dianne Buswell, Gorka Marquez, Amy Dowden, Johannes Radebe, Neil Jones, Graziano Di Prima, Nadiya Bychkova, Nancy Xu and Luba Mushtuk.
We will also be introduced to newcomers Nikita Kuzmin, Kai Widdrington, Cameron Lombard and Jowita Przystal.
Strictly Come Dancing 2021's launch show airs at 7.45pm this Saturday (September 18) on BBC One.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
