Strictly star Toyah Willcox has revealed she rejected two professional dance partners due to their ‘inappropriate age’ before signing up for the BBC show.
The singer-songwriter, 66, told bosses were keen to pair her up with Italian Vito Coppola, 32, who’s 34 years her junior but she refused because of their ‘age discrepancy.’
In an exclusive interview, Toyah explained that she didn’t want to perform ‘intimate’ routines with someone too ‘young’ so also declined to be partnered with Ukrainian dancer Nikita Kuzmin, 26, due to their 40-year age difference.
Toyah said she didn’t want a ‘young person’s head near her crotch’, which was echoed by her co-star and Strictly Glitterball contender Sarah Hadland, 53, who will compete in Saturday night’s grand finale.
The punk icon, whose hits include the 1981 single Thunder in the Mountains, eventually agreed to team up with Neil Jones, 42, because of his ‘experience’ and together they lasted until week two of the competition.
Revealing she auditioned to be part of this year’s Strictly lineup in May, Toyah reflected on the ‘nerve-wracking process,’ saying she was ‘grateful’ to be Vito’s first pick this season.
Strictly star Toyah Willcox has revealed she rejected two professional dance partners due to their ‘inappropriate age’ before signing up for the BBC show
The singer, 66, told bosses were keen to pair her up with Italian Vito Coppola, 32, who’s 34 years her junior but she refused because of their ‘age discrepancy’
Toyah said she didn’t want a ‘young person’s head near her crotch’, which was echoed by her co-star and Strictly Glitterball contender Sarah Hadland
She said: ‘I did my audition with Vito, who is gorgeous and very energetic. He loved me immediately and said, ‘this is The One, this is The One’ and I’m very grateful for that but it was still nerve-wracking.
‘I told them I did not want to dance with someone when there was a 40-year age discrepancy.
‘I would have hated to do an intimidate dance with someone that young. I said I really want to be age appropriate and dance with someone who is right for my physicality, and I was asked if I would dance with Nikita and I just said look, it’s going to look so wrong.
‘I trusted Neil, he has experience and has the same mental experiences as me. Sarah Hadland and I said we don’t want young people’s heads anywhere near our crotches and I don’t want my head anywhere near their crotches…
‘I said, please keep this age appropriate and the team respected that. Nikita is gorgeous but I didn’t want him to be frustrated performing with an old woman.’
Toyah says she signed up for Strictly in the hope of inspiring her generation to move their bodies and keep fit from dancing.
She surprised herself by ‘exhausting’ dance professional Neil and due to her extensive training saw her body transform to the figure she had as a 23-year-old.
‘I trained for seven hours a day and even though I looked like I was having an absolute blast, which I was, I was working incredibly hard. I loved it and took it really seriously,’ Toyah explained.
‘I felt the fittest I have been in about 20 years after Strictly, it was incredible. You didn’t have time to eat carbs, so I used to cut up red peppers, raw carrots and I would cook some tofu and put it in there and that’s what I ate for the day, and I started to feel really zingy.
In an exclusive interview, Toyah explained that she didn’t want to perform ‘intimate’ routines with someone too ‘young’ so also declined to be partnered with dancer Nikita Kuzmin
The punk icon eventually agreed to team up with Neil Jones, 42, because of his ‘experience’ and together they lasted until week two of the competition
She surprised herself by ‘exhausting’ dance professional Neil and due to training seven hours a day saw her body transform to the figure she had as a 23-year-old
Toyah says she auditioned for Strictly with Vito and she became his first choice before the Italian partnered up actress Sarah, who will perform in the final this weekend
‘What I really loved about it was that by the time I got voted out, my physicality – my body had gone back to the same shape it was when I was 23 and I loved that. The trouble is now I don’t have the time to train seven hours a day.
‘I managed to exhaust Neil, which he will never accept but I could keep going for 24 hours and in the end after about six hours he would say ‘now, you do it on your own’ and he would stand and watch me and I realised that I had completely knackered him, which I loved.’
This week’s show will see former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, JLS singer JB Gill, comedian Chris McCausland and actress Sarah Hadland compete to be named Strictly champion after Pete Wicks narrowly missed out on reaching the final.
Toyah insists BBC producers need to listen to viewers after they voted to keep ex-TOWIE star Pete in the competition for weeks despite him continually receiving low marks from the judges while Tasha, who is professionally trained, has been in the dance-off twice.
She said: ‘I starred as Sally Bowles in the West End, and I’ve done 360 shows of Calamity Jane and I danced at the National Theatre, so I’ve had dance training, but I am 66… so, my feeling is that I went on the show because I wanted to say to my age group to live and love every day and enjoy music and enjoy dancing.
‘I like to see a journey and I’ve loved seeing people’s journeys, even Pete and his wonderful journey. All I can say is that if this is what audiences want, you have to give the Saturday night viewers what they want and respect that.
‘Pete is actually a really charming, gorgeous human being. He pretends not to be, he pretends to be a rogue, but he isn’t. He’s a new Renaissance man. And don’t forget Jowita, they are a perfect match.’
While Toyah was disappointed to become the second celebrity voted out of the competition, she doesn’t believe it was a reflection of her talent or dance skills.
She says she quickly learned the show is about ‘Strictly’ as a whole rather than the individuals taking part.
Toyah explained: ‘I am confident enough to know that I danced well, and I danced really well for a 66-year-old. But we rely on votes, it’s as simple as that.
While Toyah was disappointed to become the second celebrity voted out of the competition, she doesn’t believe it was a reflection of her talent or dance skills
Following her Strictly appearance, Toyah has teamed up with Smart Energy GB to encourage people across the country to upgrade to a smart meter
The star says she discovered 59 per cent of people over the age of 65 are technology shy, which she believes can be easily resolved with the right tools
‘I know that I was on a really great journey and improving every week. My commitment to the show was an honourable commitment.
‘It is so hard coming out and everyone that’s come out since has found it very, very difficult because you’re treated so well and the team is so gorgeous, I didn’t want to leave.
‘It is a tough show, and it is not about the celebrities. The show is about Strictly, and I learned that very, very quickly that the show is about the world of Strictly, the glamour of Strictly and you’re very much entering an arena.’
Following her Strictly appearance, Toyah has teamed up with Smart Energy GB to encourage people across the country to upgrade to a smart meter.
The star says she discovered 59 per cent of people over the age of 65 are technology shy, which she believes can be easily resolved with the right tools.
They also fear being listened to by their devices and often opt out of improving their lives when smart meters do not store any personal information like your name and address.
Toyah said: ‘When it comes to apps and technology, my age group tends to be a bit weary about things possibly observing them in the home or being too complex to use and none of this is true, it’s unfounded worry.
‘Today’s technology has been designed to work with how we are as human beings, we like visual content, very direct messages and we want our lives to be simple.
‘A prime example of this is the smart meter because you’re not being watched, there’s no personal information on your in-home display, which you can have in your kitchen, lounge or hallway. There’s absolutely nothing watching you.
‘But the in-home display connects to the meter, which you never have to look at again, it automatically and accurately reads your meter in almost real time. You know your bills are accurate and it is designed to make your life easier.
‘If you have a budget, you can set your budget. If you pay by credit your display will warn if your credit is about to run out, so you don’t have the distress of having to reconnect. It’s there so you can get on with your life.’
Toyah admits she has been converted to use a smart meter after initially doubting the technological enhancement.
She said the installation process was made easy to understand due to online tutorials, which are available to watch on the Smart Energy GB website.
‘I’m one of those people who doesn’t believe in technology until a friend has made it work for them, so my kind of research is I ask all my friends, and I have a wonderful nephew who is 43 but he’s so tech savvy that he helps me with a lot of things,’ Toyah explained.
‘The good thing about technology is we should have the confidence to ask, go into a library or a public service place, it’s a good way of meeting people as well.
‘I am completely in love with online tuitions too and you have tuitions for smart meters online. These tuitions you can go to the website and there are at least 3-4 tuitions there on the different types of smart meters.’
- Toyah Willcox is encouraging people across the country to make their lives easier by upgrading to a smart meter