Profiles

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Ian Waite at BBC Berkshire

On hearing the Strictly Come Dancing theme tune Ian Waite, the series' star from Reading, says: "That music gives me shivers already!"

Competing for his fifth series of the BBC One show, the former Latin American champion may be a dab hand at swivelling round celebs on the dancefloor, but that doesn't make him any less nervous ahead of the new season, which kicks off on Saturday 20 September.

"I'm really looking forward to it but I'm still apprehensive because I don't know how the celebrities are going to react to a live audience," he tells BBC Berkshire.

"There's a lot of pressure because they're doing something outside of their comfort zone."

The six ft four pro has never won the hit series. He was runner-up in 2004 with athlete Denise Lewis, and third in 2005 with presenter Zoe Ball.

He left the competition in the second week in 2006 with his celebrity partner Mica Paris. For series five in 2007, he and his partner Penny Lancaster Stewart left the competition in week six after dancing the salsa.

Ian Waite and Penny Lancaster in 2007

This year Ian is coupled with six ft two supermodel Jodie, who may look elegant on the cover of magazines but is a complete dancing novice.

"She's never done any dancing before in her life so already you're at a disadvantage, but we've been working very hard and she's a very quick learner.

"She learns techniques very easily so I'm hoping that she's going to be very good."

Ian has been training with Jodie for a gruelling six hours a day, which he says is " a lot of hard work". Though it's helped an unconfident Jodie to see how the other women have progressed in their dance moves.

"You do get to see some of the other girls because we're doing a group dance," he says, "but they all are struggling in their own way, they all have their own problems, which is quite nice for Jodie to see because she feels as though she's out of her depth and struggling."

And what of the argument that the female contestants have it much easier, considering the male contestants have the added burden of leading the women round the dancefloor?

Ian Waite and Zoe Ball in 2005

"I think it swings in roundabouts," he replies, "because the girls have more difficult steps.

"The men just kind of stand there, and really the professional girls don't really need leading do they!

Ian, whose family run successful dancing school in Southampton Street in Reading, says that Strictly now plays a huge part in his life.

"We've got the live tour now which starts directly after Strictly finishes," he says. "We have about seven days off and then we start rehearsals for the tour.

"It's seven months of the year and so have five months off - just enough time to go on holiday and go shopping!"