Strictly's Hamza admits struggle with fame since win and wants to 'escape'

14 October 2023 , 16:30

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Strictly's Hamza admits struggle with fame since win and wants to 'escape'

Hamza Yassin's quiet charm and natural love for dancing warmed the hearts of Strictly fans across the country last year.

Just months prior, those not aware of his work on CBeebies show Let's Go for a Walk were left confused when a BBC cameraman was one of the names read out for 2022's Strictly line-up. Who was he? Was he really a celebrity?

Fast-forward to now and everyone certainly knows who Hamza is: a Strictly champion and a beloved wildlife cameraman filming shows for BBC One. However, fame also brought Strictly curse rumours he was also subjected to reports he had fallen for professional dancer Jowita Pryzstal, and had been left "devastated" after discovering that she was dating fellow pro Giovanni Pernice.

Candidly opening up to the Mirror about how he had found dealing with having the spotlight focused on him, Hamza admitted that he found it challenging and that it often made him wanting to "escape". He also confessed that he was shocked at how much Strictly had raised his profile.

Hamza Yassin has opened up about struggling with fame since winning Strictly (Daily Mirror)

Hamza and Jowita won Strictly in 2022 (BBC/Guy Levy)

"Yeah," he replied when asked whether he found the fame difficult to deal with. "I’m just a normal person and hearing everyone shout my name, I’m still not used to it. Whenever I get the time I escape to the peace and quiet of the wild. Strictly’s raised my profile a thousand times more than I was expecting, I’m using it to the best of my advantage and just trying to show the British public and the world how important mother nature is."

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He revealed that Jowita had also helped him, explaining: "Jowita was phenomenal, she just told me 'Be yourself, enjoy the process' and that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I gave each week as if it was my last. So yeah, just be yourself and enjoy the process, it comes around very quickly."

The Mirror had been speaking to Hamza on the Pride of Britain red carpet and when asked how he felt, he said honestly: "I’m nervous, I haven’t got my people with me. Normally I’m with half of the Strictly crew. I feel privileged to be here and celebrate the people that need it."

While celebrity culture may not come easy to Hamza, he said that doing Strictly has enabled him to front BBC wildlife programmes that he loves that may not have been possible otherwise. "Yeah it’s been beautiful to be able to go around the UK and follow birds of prey and showcase them on the BBC for the nation, it’s a privilege because, first and foremost, I’m a wildlife cameraman and for me to be showing the public the thing that I love the most, which is mother nature, yeah it’s a dream come true."

Does he still find it surreal that he won the show? "It’s still crazy and weird to me to be reliving it," he said. "It’s emotional watching from the outside and cheering every one of them on every single week."

He is definitely watching Strictly this year and he is putting all of his support behind Jowita: "I’ve been cheering Jowita from day one. So yeah, her and Jody have been fantastic."

As ever, the judges' marking has proved to be controversial this year. But Hamza takes a very balanced view, pointing out that the judges only want to help the contestants. "The judges have been absolutely incredible to me, I could only speak for myself," he said. "They gave me incredible tips that I had to follow so I absolutely love what they say and what they do say is genuinely bang on the money for what we have to improve on so, yeah, love the judges. They’re giving you tips for the future so if you manage to go to the next round, these are the things to work on. I took them seriously, whatever they said, so it’s a beautiful thing. And it is a competition so they try to give you the best information as possible."

Hamza is still in contact with the Strictly pros and celebrities, but admits that they're all a little busy this year. "Yeah, we’re all on one big WhatsApp group and we constantly chat to one another. They’re all a bit busy with their new partners this year but I’m constantly in chat with them."

A poignant moment during last Saturday's Strictly saw professional dancer Amy Dowden return to open the phone lines. The pro - who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for her stage three breast cancer - was supported by her co-stars as she ditched her wig and made a powerful comeback.

"It’s just such a beautiful moment to see for someone to step outside onto the national stage not wearing a wig," Hamza said after watching on TV. "Just think about how many other young ladies who are going through that and the confidence that gave from Amy, who is such a beautiful, wholesome person. It’s incredible that she’s even going through that so I feel sorry for her but she’s so good and so powerful about how she’s tackling this and she’s a great role model for anybody."

Rose Hill