Strictly champion Chris McCausland has admitted he's reeling from the show's demands after claiming the Glitterball trophy with partner Dianne Buswell. The winning duo dazzled in the grand finale on December 14, edging out rivals Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec, JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, along with Sarah Hadland and Vito Coopla.
An emotional upheaval overcame the comedian as Tess Daly declared them victors of the BBC One dancing spectacle; both he and Dianne seemed struck by disbelief upon their triumph. Overcome with joy, the 47 year old shared after his win: "It's astonishing. It's you know. I don't know what to say. I honestly thought I could go out in the first week or two, and I know no one went out in the first week, but I still thought I could."
Opening up about his journey, the new Strictly king revealed on ITV's Lorraine in his post-victory interview: "It's been a really emotional Saturday night and I'm still kind of feeling worn down by it. Three and a half months [rehearsing] is relentless, it's consuming. Physically and mentally, it takes its toll.."
"I just wanted to go into this and represent people... I thought if I could get to the fifth show, that's a success, because that challenges expectations and it surprises people. But this is bananas."
Chris then confided in host Ravnir Singh about his altered eating habits since joining Strictly, including indulging in an excessive amount of chocolate, admitting he needs to curb the new tendencies. "You just eat what you want because I know I'm burning more calories than what I'm consuming. I've eaten more chocolate these last three and a half months than I have in 10 Christmas'," he shared.
"I've got to stop it because if I carry on the way I've been eating... I'll have a burger for a Tuesday lunch. Who has a burger for a Tuesday lunch? I will just explode."
In addition, Chris disclosed that he won't be participating in the forthcoming Strictly live tour as he gears up for his new comedy tour, Yonks!, which means he'll part ways with Dianne sooner than expected as their dance journey concludes while some of his fellow contestants continue into the New Year.
Chris revealed his unexpected journey, saying: "I started the [comedy] tour in January this year and I did the first leg till May and then I was meant to be back out again in September but we moved the dates to accommodate Strictly... "
He added, "It just wasn't really a consideration at the time as I don't think anyone thought I would be any good at it... I didn't think I would be going off the back of Strictly on tour. I thought I would be going off the back of two months off."
