Strictly ‘underdog’ Kelvin Fletcher was ‘snubbed’ by show multiple times

Kelvin Fletcher has revealed that he was never supposed to appear on Strictly Come Dancing.

The former Emmerdale star, 36, who lifted the infamous glitterball trophy last year alongside professional dance partner Oti Mabuse had been a massive fan of the show, but never imagined that he would be granted the opportunity to show off his impressive dance moves in front of the nation.

Remarkably, without even being on the reserves list which holds backup celebrities incase a contestant has to pull out, Kelvin made it to the final and went on to win the show.

Lifting the lid on how he made it the glitzy dancefloor, the soap star told Fuelling Around podcast that he felt like the underdog of the series after finally bagging a spot on the iconic dance competition.

After Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing was forced to drop out ahead of the live shows after suffering a nasty injury, Kelvin was asked to step in to fill his dancing shoes.

“I randomly got a call from my agent saying: ‘Strictly have been in touch and they want you for the show.’ But the line-up had already been announced and they were already in rehearsals about two or three weeks in and they were about to do the first show.

“So, it transpired that one of the contestants had an injury (Jamie Lang) and it was looking like he wasn’t going to be fully fit, so they asked me, but I had to give an answer within a couple of hours

“I wasn’t even on the replacement list that they have, so I was the absolute underdog, the underdog that couldn’t even make the subs bench, but for me it was the absolute opportunity of a lifetime.”

After playing loveable Emmerdale character Andy Sugden for over twenty years, Kelvin felt like he needed a change, and had always dreamt of appearing on Strictly Come Dancing.

When the opportunity finally arose, he felt obliged to take it not knowing what was yet to come.

The Strictly champ explained: “I love the show and I used to watch it with my wife and I thought ‘I’ve never danced, but I feel like I’ve got rhythm. Every time we go to a birthday or a wedding, I’m always up dancing, I felt like I had a bit of groove in me and I just thought I’d give it a go.

“I had wanted to do it for so long, I’ve auditioned for it before, but they said no, coming at the last minute wasn’t the ideal scenario, but sometimes opportunities present themselves.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d go on to win it.”