22 September 2023 , 23:41
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Strictly Come Dancing star Joanne Clifton says she would love Prince Harry to take part in the show - and says he now has no excuse to not join as he’s no longer a working member of the Royal Family.
The 39-year-old dance professional - who is the younger sister of dance star Kevin Clifton, 40 - was a part of Strictly from 2014 until 2016, and won the competition in her final year on the show when she was partnered with TV presenter Ore Oduba. And although Joanne no longer dances on the show herself, she says she would love to see 39-year-old Prince Harry, on the line up.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, quit royal life - and the UK - stepping down as working royals. In the years since, this has allowed Harry and 42-year-old Meghan to pursue new ways of sourcing income - with the couple initiating deals with major companies including Netflix, Apple and Spotify.
Joanne says now would be the opportune time for Harry to take part in the hit BBC show. Asked in an interview with Betway who her dream Strictly celebrity would be, Joanne said: “I have two. One of them would be Karl Pilkington. I think he would be hilarious. I don’t think he’d be the best, but I would love to see him step up to the plate.
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton would love to see Prince Harry on the show (WireImage)
Harry is no longer a working royal - meaning he could take up a slot on the show (Getty Images for the Invictus Ga)“My other dream contestant would be Prince Harry. He is technically out of the Royal family now, so why not? He’s not a Royal anymore. Let's get him in some sparkly lycra. Queen Camilla supposedly loves Strictly, so I think he needs to give it a go.”
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Looking at the 2023 line-up, Joanne also gave her opinion about who she thinks will win the season. She predicts: “The obvious one for me is Layton Williams. He is obviously a trained dancer, however, this does not mean anything because he may be able to pick up steps a bit quicker than someone who has no experience, but that isn’t necessarily the case.
“It will still feel completely new to him. I do think he’s going to be great. However, I saw a snippet of Eddi Kadi in the opening show, and I was blown away! He has serious skills already. I have also been told Nigel Harman is very talented. I think he will be a finalist.”
Joanne also defended the Strictly bosses’ decision to allow a Love Island star to take part in the show - with Zara McDermott being the first reality star allowed to compete on the show. Joanne said: “Zara has done a lot with the BBC with her documentary work and other TV shows since she was on Love Island.
“She’s now a presenter, and has gone on to do really good things - she’s proven she’s very successful. It’s not as though she has just recently been on Love Island. I think it’s a great thing she’s been given this opportunity, and we will hopefully see more islanders sign up for the competition in the future. She’s also with Graziano, so she’s in very good hands.”