James and Ola Jordan talk Comic Relief and why Anton Du Beke should be the next Strictly Come Dancing judge
The professional dancers tell RadioTimes.com about singing (badly) on live TV – all in the name of charity
Former Strictly pros James and Ola Jordan are back dancing again live on BBC1 on a Saturday night.
But the pair haven't returned to Strictly Come Dancing; instead, they’re taking part in the second week of Let’s Sing and Dance for Comic Relief, taking on Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass.
They might have the dancing aspect nailed, but the singing…
“After one session, the bubble burst,” Ola tells RadioTimes.com in an exclusive chat. “We realised how bad we actually are.”
James agrees. “We have had some vocal coaching but even the vocal coach told me her expectations are very very low and not to expect too much,” he explains. “And she said: ‘Maybe you could sing more quietly’. That would be like someone coming to me for a dance lesson and telling them to take up golf!
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“People might think I’m putting it on – ‘there’s no way he can be that bad!'," he laughs. "But no, I am actually that bad.”
Even fellow Let’s Sing and Dance competitor Alison Hammond thinks their vocal talents are laughable.
“We were rehearsing the other day, we came out the rehearsal room and Alison Hammond turned around and said to me specifically: 'You’re so bad, it’s brilliant'. And I didn’t know how to take it. I was trying my best and everyone keeps telling me how shocking I am!”
The former professional Strictly dancers will both be in full make-up and dresses to perform the hit - not that James seems to mind…
“I wasn’t particularly expecting to dress up as a woman,” he tells us. “But I’m actually quite getting into it now. It might become like a weekly thing. Now I keep telling them to keep cutting my skirt shorter. I’m going to be a bit more of a naughty girl although my legs are like footballers’ legs so my they don’t really look that feminine.”
Although the pair have been training quite a lot, they now think they’ve done all they possibly can.
Ola said: “It’s got to the point where we can’t be any better. We’re rubbish,” she laughs. “So I think you just have to give up, don’t you? You can either sing or you can’t!”
They might be rubbish singers, but as amazing dancers we wonder if this means we’ll be seeing them both back on Strictly Come Dancing in the future.
“Not unless they ask me to go back as a judge,” explains James. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, myself and Ola love Strictly. For me it is still one of the best TV shows in the world.
"It's a brilliant show, we’ll always support it. But our years of dancing on it I think it have gone, haven’t they? We’ll let the young ones do that now. We enjoy watching it at home!"
Asked about who they would like to see take the judging spot on the show following Len Goodman's retirement as Head Judge, they both tipped Anton Du Beke to take the job.
"I think the guy deserves it," James explained. "I think he is the right person for the job. I just think he’s done his apprenticeship on the show – people love Anton and if he gets the position, I will be more than happy for him. I will be extremely happy for him. Especially now he’s got two children on the way and everything, I just think he deserves it. Give it to Anton!"
Let’s Sing and Dance for Comic Relief airs at 6.45pm on Saturday 11 March on BBC1
