When producers for Dancing with the Stars, the American spin-off of Strictly Come Dancing, came calling for Michelle Visage, she turned them down. 

They asked again and, again, she said no. In fact the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge repeatedly knocked back the showrunners because of her obsession with the original British version – which she was said was “more true” to the spirit of ballroom dancing – and was holding out for a call from the other side of the pond.

The waiting paid off because, tonight, she is one of 15 new celebrities set to debut on the dancefloor. 

 “This is the first time I’ve been asked to do Strictly. I’ve been asked to do Dancing With The Stars but I kept saying no, hoping for Strictly to come through,” she said.

“It’s more true to what ballroom really is, and I’ve been obsessed with ballroom for years – just watching it, never taking it, never trying it.

“I’ve watched it, I’ve had friends that did Dancing With The Stars so I got into it, and it’s just more of what I think it is.

“I don’t like the freedoms and the craziness. I like the technique.”

The 50-year-old, who is no stranger to the stage, having previously been in the New York pop band Seduction, said she was most excited to try Latin ballroom but admitted that she had already fallen behind in her training regime.

“They’ve had two weeks – I’ve had an hour,” she said of her co-stars such as double Olympic gold medallist rower James Cracknell and former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley.

“So we’ll see how that goes. I was in America. I was here the first day when we were in a room and I didn’t even do the choreography that day.

“The only thing I did that day was the waltz, because I left, I had to catch a flight. I was filming a documentary back home, so that had been planned for a year.

“When I got the call for this, it was like ‘I have to do that’, so that’s why I had to miss the red carpet.

“So I had an hour last night after I got off the plane, that’s all.”
Visage also revealed that TV star and drag queen RuPaul had been surprised by her decision to sign up for the BBC One flagship show.

She said: “He was like: ‘Why do you want to work that hard?’

“And I was like: ‘I’ve got a new body, I’m 50, I want to show my kids that nothing should stop you.’

“You know? If you want to do something, meet your challenge and do it.”

Visage joins a line-up of TV and radio presenters, soap stars, sportspeople, a YouTuber and a Viscountess for the show’s 17th series.

They include former England number one David James. The ex-professional athlete, 49, played for Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City before retiring in 2013.

He said: “I have said no to celebrity shows previously and only ever done charity shows like Sports Relief.

“However, when my good friend Mark Foster told me how much he enjoyed the show, and how good everyone was, I changed my mind. Also, I love a challenge!”

But James is not the only former professional footballer in this year’s Strictly line-up.

Alex Scott played for Arsenal in the Women’s Super League and also represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.

Scott, 34, said: “Strictly’s another world to me. In football if something goes wrong, I know how to correct it. But what happens if I forget the dance routine with millions of people watching live on BBC One? That fear keeps running through my head.”

Continuing the sporting theme, double Olympic gold medallist Cracknell will also be taking to the dance floor.

The 47-year-old rower hit the headlines earlier this year when he took part in the Boat Race, representing Cambridge against Oxford.

Asked what his biggest strengths are, he said: “I’ll have no problem being ripped apart, sorry I should say being constructively criticised, by my dance partner. I’m happy to be bossed around by someone who knows what they’re doing so I can learn.”

Veteran TV presenter Anneka Rice is another of this year’s Strictly cohort.
The 60-year-old, wearing a blue outfit in her promotional shot, is the oldest contestant. Rice admitted to being worried about the glamour side of the show.

She said: “No-one at work has ever seen me in anything but jeans. So the dressing up bit is alarming. I never enjoyed dressing up as a child unless it was to put on an army uniform or a boiler suit.”

BBC sports presenter Mike Bushell is many bookmakers’ favourite to be first to get the boot.

He said: “My biggest strengths are my energy and being a trier. So maybe the faster dances might suit me better as I might be able to mask some of my technical deficiencies.”

YouTube star Saffron Barker is the youngest on the 2019 edition of Strictly Come Dancing, at the age of 19.

The popular online vlogger has been making videos since 2015 and has more than 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube. Barker said she had been given advice by her fellow YouTuber Joe Sugg, who took part in Strictly last year.

She said: “Joe Sugg told me to just enjoy the moment. But it’ll be my mum who I look to for advice. I’m so close to her. There’s no one I trust more than my mum; I can always count on her.”

Meanwhile, Viscountess Emma Weymouth, wearing a pink dress in her promotional picture, is 16/1 with most bookmakers to win the show.

The socialite, 33, admitted to being a competitive person.

She said: “I know of course it’s a competitive environment, which is difficult. I don’t know what to expect, it’s like a family but we are all going to be in competition so I just have to work as hard as I can really and hope I can learn.”
Weymouth is joined by the TV presenter Karim Zeroual, best known for his work on CBBC.

Zeroual, who has been a CBBC presenter since 2014, said his experience of live TV could help him on Strictly.

He said: “I do live TV for a living - and of course mistakes happen all the time on kids TV. Hopefully that’s prepared me for this in some way. If I do make a mistake then I’m always happy to laugh at myself and make a joke of it.”

After being announced as a contestant, RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage said she was “honoured to be a part of this legendary show”.

The 50-year-old is a rank outsider to win, according to the bookmakers.

She said: “I have done many, many things in my life, but I have never ballroom danced. Ballroom is something I have been obsessed with for years but have never taken a lesson!

“The tans, the hips, the fringe, the faces, the drama, my god I love it all.”
Paralympian Will Bayley said he hopes his Strictly stint can inspire others.
The table tennis star is currently ranked number one in the world in the sport.

He said: “I want to fly the flag for disabled athletes – Jonnie Peacock and Lauren Steadman have done so amazingly on the show in previous years and I want to carry that on. I want to inspire others.”

Former Coronation Street star Tyldesley is swapping the cobbles for the dance floor, while EastEnders’ Emma Barton is also on the line-up.

The actress, 35, played Eva Price on the ITV soap from 2011 to 2018. She said she is excited to dress up.

She said: “The dresses! The dresses! The costumes are breath-taking. I am a girly girl, so that’s probably the thing I am most excited about. I can’t wait to get glammed up every week.

“Hopefully even if my dancing’s bad, my dress will look great! “

Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin is another of Strictly’s class of 2019. The 34-year-old hosts the weekend afternoon show on the station. He said: “I feel quite overwhelmed. I have had so many messages from people wishing me good luck and I’m thinking ‘wow, what have I got myself in to?!’.”

Emma Barton, 42, is best-known to audiences as Honey Mitchell in EastEnders.
She was among the first celebrities unveiled for this year’s Strictly.

Asked what she was looking for in a dance partner, Barton said: “Definitely someone with a sense of fun, so we can have a laugh and work well together. I’m a great listener, I’m willing to learn and a hard worker.”

Chris Ramsey, a comedian, was also one of the first names to be announced for this year’s competition.

He joked he was looking forward to getting “ripped”. Ramsey said: “Everyone says you get ripped. I’ve never been ripped. Ever. That would be great.”

“I’m also looking forward to the spectacle of the whole thing; the live shows, the crowd, the costumes... It would be great if the training kicks in and I slim down before they put me in the costumes. I’ll wear whatever you want once I’m ripped!”

Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing was forced to pull out of the show after injuring himself during recording for the series’ launch.

Strictly Come Dancing starts tonight on BBC One.