Each week, award-winning Strictly Come Dancing professional Kristina Rihanoff brings iVillagers all the latest news on her training with Jason Donovan, her progress in the show and the odd piece of backstage gossip from this year's series. Don't miss the weekly instalments as Kristina reveals what it's really like behind the showbiz spotlight
Cracking the Charleston
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Hi All!
This week, I had a little Q and A session with the lovely team at iVillage.co.uk...
What can we expect from you in this week’s show?
This week is the Charleston, it’s a really unusual dance. It’s my first Charleston ever on Strictly and I’m really excited to do it with Jason - it’s very cheeky, very playful so I like it.
So can we expect some 1920s costumes?
Yeah, it’s definitely going to be a full-on Great Gatsby look and it’s going to be really fun. There’s a bit of acting going on which is always useful for Jason so I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a fun routine and really great tune so I love it!
How has Jason taken to it so far?
Good, he’s really enjoying the dance, it’s one of his favourites I would say.
How did you find the Wembley experience?
I absolutely had a blast! It was one of my favourite shows ever. We’ve performed Wembley on the tour and so I kind of knew how it was going to be, but I absolutely loved it, it was a fantastic experience.
Were you surprised to see Holly in the bottom two in last week’s show?
Yeah, I was. I thought she did a really good job, the dance was interesting and very fun for Wembley. But that’s the danger now, anyone can go, no-one is safe and I’m just really grateful to the public for still voting for Jason and me. If I could only say thank you to each person who picks up the phone I would have done it, it’s really important that they’re behind us.
Were you sad to see Russell Grant leave?
I was, that was a really emotional moment, I had a little cry because he was lots of fun – you can always rely on him to put a smile on your face. I was looking forward to his Saturday performances, I was worried about my dance but you can always count on the fact that he can perform something really funny. It’s sad to see him go.
The competition is getting fierce now, are you starting to feel the pressure a bit more?
I think the pressure was always there from day one. Jason is a huge perfectionist as a performer so I think he puts on the pressure; he tries to deliver every week. He understands its more serious now, it’s getting tougher, but he’s always been dedicated from the first week so it’s pretty much the same.
How has your relationship with Jason developed?
I think, obviously, we’ve gotten to know each other really well, we know how we act under pressure, we know how we act in any sort of situation now and I think we’re very honest with each other. We value the fact that we can talk with each other about anything and it’s wonderful because you develop a good friendship. He’s very honest and I think this is important when you’re doing something like Strictly together because it’s very intense.
How do you devise the choreography – does Jason have much input?
I do the choreography in my head and teach it to him and if some bits are difficult we scratch it and replace it with something else. And I believe in doing something natural and if it doesn’t work for a day or two I definitely change so we never have to work on things that are not comfortable for him because we can easily replace it with something more suitable. That’s how we work
Have you set yourself any overall targets or are you taking it week by week?
I am taking it week by week because you can go crazy if you think ‘Oh my god, we have to be up there at the top and make the final!’ I do want that, of course I do - like any one of us - and I want it for Jason more than for myself because he absolutely puts his heart and soul into the experience. But, at the end of the day, I have to keep grounded and I have to think of each week. You have to remember that you only get to the top by making small steps and that’s what we’re doing.
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