Inside Strictly professionals' gruelling and 'torturous' rehearsals

12 September 2023 , 12:24

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Inside Strictly professionals' gruelling and 'torturous' rehearsals ahead of launch (Image: BBC/Guy Levy)

With just days to go until the premiere of Strictly Come Dancing 2023, you can bet its 15 stars' preparation for the launch show is in full swing.

The 22nd series of the BBC One reality show is known as much for its glitzy performances as its gruelling rehearsals schedule, which contractually obliges contestants to commit at least 12 hours of their week to training and refining their routines.

But when it comes to working hard, it's the Strictly professionals who really put in the hours. With the responsibility of selecting and choreographing the dances on top of mentoring their rookie partners, Strictly's pros spend almost every waking moment at the Elstree studio while filming the series. In fact, it's been rumoured that, depending on what the celebrity needs, it's not uncommon to spend over 12 hours a day perfecting performances.

Strictly Come Dancing professionals have a gruelling schedule (BBC/Guy Levy)

"The pros don’t get a day off," Gorka Márquez told OK! magazine last year. "Sunday is our resting day but then we have to choreograph and plan next week’s number." The Spanish professional dancer went on to reveal how the schedule affects his overall lifestyle, even disturbing his rest.

"I know that for the next five months I’ll never switch off, just when I sleep. And sometimes I only sleep for two hours as I can’t switch off," he admitted.

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Many celebrities spend far longer that this, however, with Strictly Series 4 winners Karen and Mark reportedly practising for up to 50 hours a week before being presented with the coveted Glitterball Trophy. Other past contestants, such as BBC weather presenter Carol Kirwood, has revealed she spent between 6 and 7 hours a day in the studio to perfect routines.

Strictly pro Luba Mushtuk with Jay Blades (BBC/Guy Levy)

Gorka Marquez with Diane Buswell (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Coronation Street's Kym Marsh, who starred on last year's Strictly, also shocked fans after confessing to training for between 6 and 8 hours a day. If that wasn't impressive enough, the contestants are often working this training around their already hectic showbiz careers.

Bobby Brazier, who has been tipped to win this year's series, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a video about his 'rollercoaster' training for the show. "Just every day...there's so many emotions, in such a short amount of time," the EastEnders actor told his 216k followers in the chatty update. "It's super emotional. The whole spectrum of emotions, I fully expect to experience. And I am starting to experience."

Bobby, 20, also gave a shout-out to his mystery pro partner for coming up with a creative first dance routine, hinting that the performance will be "very sweet" despite its "tricky" technique.

The rigorous workload can take a toll on the celebrities even before the first live show, with many hopefuls suffering aches and pains in the dance studio. It's isn't uncommon for Strictly contestants to showcase their physical woes from behind-the-scenes - most of which manifests on their exhausted feet.

"I'm pathetic, I'm pathetic...I hobbled in like a little old lady," Amanda Abbington said in her latest update. "I'm blaming my age and the fact that I'm perimenopausal." The Sherlock star's confession comes shortly after she shared a photo of a nasty blood blister on her foot, which have now burst and are in the process of healing. Love Island's Zara McDermott is another celebrity to have physically suffered from the gruelling training, taking to Instagram to last week to share a photo of her wounded big toe with her devout followers.

Emma Dooney