16 December 2023 , 10:00
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Former Strictly Come Dancing champion Darren Gough believes it will be Bobby Brazier celebrating on Saturday night.
The former England cricketer won the third series back in 2005 when he and his partner Lilia Kopylova defeated athlete Colin Jackson and presenter Zoe Ball in the final. But he thinks the show has lost a little of its shine with dancers with professional training behind them now competing every year.
That's part of the reason why he hopes his prediction comes true and that EastEnders star Bobby will lift the Glitterball this weekend. He is backing the 20-year-old to get the better of this year's finalists Layton Williams and his partner Nikita Kuzmin and Ellie Leach and rumoured beau Vito Coppola - but he said it would have been a different story if Nigel Harman was able to hang around.
Darren Gough and dance partner Lilia Kopylova lifted the Glitterball back in 2005 (PA)
Some 18 years on, the cricket legend has made his final predictions (Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)He told The Mirror: "I thought Nigel was very good. I think if he stays, then he probably wins it. As it is that didn't happen, he would have been gutted to have had to go home when he did. Bobby has a great chance, especially with the public. I think he will win it because of his personality. That's so important.
"He's not the best dancer on the show. He's not a trainer dancer - but I prefer a non-trained dancer and so do a lot of others. I like the journey. I had that. I didn't go on there to win it or to make money, I went on for a laugh. It's a way to get noticed, in theatre and film - I don't blame them, it's a good career move isn't it?"
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Looking back on his time on the BBC show, he joked: "I'm a three-time champion I'll have you know! I won the main show, the Christmas special and the Champion of Champions! I also won the tour show which was done for DVD so let's call it four times. It was a long time ago, my dancing days are long behind me.
Darren Gough is fund ambassador for the Gigaclear Rural Sports Club Fund"What I love most is that still even all these years later guys come up to me and say they started dancing after seeing me on Strictly. You can't buy that. It's still special even now, it certainly doesn't feel like 18 years ago I was on that dancefloor but it was a brilliant time."
It comes as the former fast bowler got behind a new £75,000 fund that has been set up to support grassroots sports clubs in rural England. The Gigaclear Rural Sports Club Fund has been launched by the UK’s largest rural alternative broadband provider and aims to help local clubs on its network to flourish by helping purchase much-needed sports equipment.
Darren, currently Managing Director of Cricket at Yorkshire, has agreed to be a fund ambassador and says helping keep clubs afloat in times of trouble is crucial to the country. He said: “Local clubs offer valuable opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy the many benefits that come with playing sport.
"It can have a positive impact on mental health and physical wellbeing and, who knows, it could also help nurture the aspirations of a future England player, whether that’s in football, rugby or cricket. I know myself what a key role the grass-roots plays in a community and it's something I had to get behind."
To find out more about the fund, click here.
*The Strictly Come Dancing final airs Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer