Sarah Hadland has opened up about her true feelings towards Blackpool Week after reaching the iconic milestone on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Alongside Vito Coppola, Hadland will take on a Couple’s Choice to Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue on Saturday as she aims to maintain her impressive scores on the dancefloor.
The duo have been impressing week after week in the ballroom with their performances and have even surged to the top of bookmakers’ markets to give frontrunner Chris McCausland some competition.
However, Hadland’s stint on the show hasn’t been without its controversy due to her previous dance training and the fact some fans feel Shirley Ballas is “undermarking” the actress.
Hoping to ignore any outside noise, Hadland sat down with the BBC ahead of Blackpool Week to share her thoughts on the iconic round of the competition.
“I am so excited,” she began. “I’m quite a bouncy person and Vito spends a lot of time telling me to stop being so bouncy.
“He says I’m like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. But then he’s quite bouncy too, but he can control it.”
However, given the floor in the Blackpool Tower ballroom is believed to be “bouncier” than what she’s used to at Elstree Studios, Hadland has her concerns.
“I’m worried that I’m going to have to be even less bouncy,” she admitted before adding: “To actually dance on it will be amazing.
“When any of the pro dancers talk about Blackpool they get this kind of reverence in their voice.
“When Vito talks about it, a glitter mist comes over him and he talks about winning there when he was younger.
“He becomes kind of misty eyed when he was talks about it, it gets quite emotional, and I want to experience that with him.
“It seems like it’s the Oscars of ballroom. The Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool Week is a week when you’re going to dress up if you’re watching the show at home. You’d put your tea in a pot, not just a mug!”
Coppola and Hadland previewed their upcoming routine on It Takes Two earlier this week while also analysing their show-stopping American Smooth.
In typical fashion, the duo were energetic and incredibly animated as they debriefed on the previous week’s performance.
However, it appears Coppola’s conduct has worn thin with some viewers as several took to social media to accuse him of being too “over the top”.
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“OMG, am I alone in finding Vito too much this year? #ItTakesTwo,” one fan criticised on X.
Meanwhile, a second hit out:”FFS trying to get Vito to describe anything in 3 words is a tough ask Fleur #ItTakesTwo #Strictly.”
“Vito pretending not to know words isn’t funny anymore. #Strictly,” a third agreed but before long, other fans rushed to his defence.
One supporter weighed in: “My favourites Sarah & Vito are a breath of fresh air!! #Strictly #ItTakesTwo I get immersed into their conversations & even understand Vito’s descriptions…. & I applaud at the end!” (sic)