Chris McCausland on his Strictly Come Dancing triumph

Chris McCausland talks Strictly win…

Today on ITV, Strictly Come Dancing winner and comedian Chris McCausland popped onto the Lorraine show for his first TV interview since lifting the famous Glitterball trophy this weekend to discuss what winning meant to him, how his 11-year-old daughter reacted to his journey and why he will not be going on the Strictly tour in the new year.

Reflecting on Saturday evening, where he became this year’s Strictly Come Dancing champion, Chris told Ranvir Singh:

“It’s been a really emotional Saturday night and I’m still kind of feeling worn down by it. Three and a half months [rehearsing] is relentless, it’s consuming. Physically and mentally it takes its toll… I just wanted to go into this and represent people… I thought if I could get to the fifth show, that’s a success, because that challenges expectations and it surprises people. But this is bananas.” 

Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Dianne Buswell & Chris McCausland / BBC / Guy Levy

Opening up about how his 11-year-old daughter reacted to his Strictly experience, Chris said:

“She fed off my anxiety because I was terrified and I couldn’t really hide it that well, so she was nervous for me. The first show when we did the ‘Cha-cha-cha’, she was so nervous and as soon as we started dancing down the dancefloor, she burst out crying… She threw things at the telly when Craig was on. She calls him a ‘bum’.” 

Chris told Ravnir how his eating habits have changed since being in Strictly,

“You just eat what you want because I know I’m burning more calories than what I’m consuming. I’ve eaten more chocolate this last three and a half months than I have in 10 christmases. I’ve got to stop it because if I carry on the way I’ve been eating… I’ll have a burger for a Tuesday lunch. Who has a burger for a Tuesday lunch? I will just explode.” 

Chris also revealed that he won’t be taking part in the Strictly tour as he prepares for his latest comedy tour – ‘Yonks!’.

“I started the [comedy] tour in January this year and I did the first leg till May and then I was meant to be back out again in September but we moved the dates to accommodate Strictly… It just wasn’t really a consideration at the time as I don’t think anyone thought I would be any good at it… I didn’t think I would be going off the back of Strictly on tour. I thought I would be going off the back of two months off.” 

Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Dianne Buswell & Chris McCausland

Lorraine weekdays from 9am on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player | Catch up with Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC iPlayer