Strictly Come Dancing winner says series 'lost its drama' after format change
Darren Gough feels the Strictly Come Dancing format is flawed and the days of people like him getting their hands on the Glitterball are long gone.
The cricketer legend tasted glory in the third series back in 2005 when he and his dance partner Lilia Kopylova defeated sprinter Colin Jackson and TV star Zoe Ball in the final. He thinks the show has lost a little of its sparkle with dancers with professional training behind them competing every year and the public now only playing a bit-part.
He says those watching at home should be more involved like they used to be and feels judges putting the best dancers through week after week means the drama has pretty much gone. The 53-year-old England great tipped Bobby Brazier to win this weekend and says the stories are what it's all about.
He fears the days of people like him winning are in the past (PA)
Darren revealed his secret to success - not working as hard as the rest! (PA)He told The Mirror: "It's a terrific show, but I've kind of gone off it a bit. The way it's gone down now, I know the judges won't like it but it used to be a programme where the public voted for the winner. It still is, but only when you get to the final. But now if you're good in week one, you're basically getting to the final. The judges rescue you every single week. It doesn't matter what the public think. I still prefer it when they pick their winner. The thing is the public go for the journey - there's no doubt that was the case when I won it, I won it because of the journey and they came with me.
"I'd never danced and they went on the journey with me. I was the first male winner, and people thought 'if he can dance, I can dance' - to this day people come up to me and say I opened up the door for them which is just brilliant. That's why I think it should go back to the public voting every single week. The judges just keep the best dancers in, I just feel like now it has lost its drama."
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Darren never topped the leaderboard before the finale but was also never in the bottom two. Asked about his secret, he was clear - don't work too hard! He said: "I literally thought I would be gone in week two. I thought I'd make it part the first week then they'd find me out.
Darren Gough is fund ambassador for the Gigaclear Rural Sports Club Fund"I was one of those people who wouldn't commit too many hours to it. I kept getting told by people who worked there 'Colin's doing six hours a day' or 'Zoe is doing this or that'. I just told them 'Well I'm doing two and that's enough!' I didn't want to over-do it at the start because I didn't want people thinking 'Darren's taking it too seriously'!
"I didn't want to be that bloke. James Martin was on our series, and he was really competitive. I'm a Yorkshireman, just like him - they tried to pit us against each other but I was having none of that at all. I was just me. But I got to the final and won it, which is ridiculous."
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
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