Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals have been brutal for Helen Skelton as she is preparing for the big weekend in Blackpool.
Fans of the BBC show know that it is a huge deal for celebrities and their professional partners when they make it to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. This year it is extra special as it is the first time we will see dancers at the famous dancehall since 2019.
To celebrate this huge homecoming for the show, Strictly musical directors have gone all out by selecting songs from Hugh Jackman, Destiny's Child and more for the top eight couples. But it won't be a slow musical number for On The Farm's Helen Skelton who will be performing the quickstep.
Read more: Emmerdale fans predict Samson dad twist as they call for DNA test
Helen and Gorka have been updating fans throughout their Strictly journey, and yesterday (November 17), Gorka shared how they have been getting on in rehearsals on his Instagram story. He revealed they will be dancing to Amy Winehouse's Valerie as it blared in the background of a clip where Helen was seen holding her stomach while she caught her breath.
The pair were seen drenched in sweat as Gorka asked Helen, "how's the quickstep going?". "Quick", she said as she breathed heavily. In a second clip Helen was seen with her head held back in exhaustion as she sat on a chair. The pair had been rehearsing for over an hour and a half.
Gorka said: "We learn the quickstep. We do one song and then we sit. It is like a tennis match. We've been running it since four o'clock."
Last weekend, Helen and Gorka earned an impressive score of 32 out of 40 for their take on a Salsa, which impressed the judges. In their first few days of rehearsing Helen was seen with injured feet. Helen wrote on Instagram: "Day one of the Quickstep done and the shoes will no longer go on my feet (standard) but on we trot."
For some down time after rehearsals, Helen went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach last night and shared a picture of all her tickets for the rides and games.
Full list of songs and dances for Blackpool Week:
- Ellie T and Johannes dance the American Smooth to 'You’re My World' by Cilla Black.
- Fleur and Vito dance a Couple's Choice to a Destiny’s Child Megamix by Destiny’s Child.
- Helen and Gorka dance the Quickstep to 'Valerie' by Mark Ronson ft Amy Winehouse
- Kym and Graziano dance the Paso Doble to 'Only Girl (In The World)' by Rihanna / 'We Found Love' by Calvin Harris ft Rihanna.
- Molly and Carlos dance a Jive to 'Bandstand Boogie' by Barry Manilow.
- Hamza and Jowita dance the American Smooth to '(Theme From) New York, New York' by Frank Sinatra
- Tyler and Dianne dance the Salsa to a KC & The Sunshine Band Megamix by KC & The Sunshine Band.
Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool Week will air on BBC One on Saturday night.
Read next:
