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Alison Graham on Strictly: week one

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Joe Calzaghe with his partner Kristina Rihanoff
  • Posted at 2:13pm
  • 25 September 2009
  • by AlisonGraham-RT

Ex boxing world champion Joe Calzaghe won my girlish heart when he told Radio Times in our Strictly Come Dancing launch feature that taking part in the competition was more fun than "getting punched in the head for a living". I loved that; it was such a raw, honest and un-starry thing to say. What I know about boxing could be written on the back of a pixie's postage stamp, but from that moment on I knew I was in love with Joe Calzaghe.

That love even withstood the unassailable fact that Calzaghe danced like a dying moose when he took to the floor in the opening show of the series (BBC1, 18 September). It wasn't entirely his fault, though, as he and his partner Kristina Rihanoff were lumbered with a dirge of a tango played on an accordion.

Maybe I'm biased, as hearing an accordion always gives me screaming flashbacks to my childhood and Sing Something Simple on the radio, but it sounded like something a child would play at a hamster's funeral. Still, it was better than Bruce Forsyth's arthritic banter.

Calzaghe will probably be this year's John Sergeant: not much cop, but so lovable and well-meaning that turfing him out would be like shooting Bambi.

Elsewhere, Jade Johnson had fantastic legs and Lynda Bellingham was game, fun and well up for everything. The first show was won by Ali Bastian, who I thought was an Afghan military base but who turned out to be someone in The Bill.

All eyes, though, were on judge Alesha Dixon. Poor poppet, she couldn't win: if she was too tough she'd be accused of being a pale imitation of the suddenly sainted Arlene Phillips; too soft and everyone would shrug their shoulders. She was sweet. And her hair looked lovely.

**

Alison Graham is TV editor of Radio Times - read her column in the latest issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.

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