Football legend Harry Redknapp has revealed he turned down an offer to appear on Strictly Come Dancing after a trial run with professional dancer Amy Dowden. The 79-year-old former manager, who won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, had a private audition at his home but quickly realised the BBC ballroom show was not for him.
Amy Dowden's Surprise Location Choice
Speaking at Shoreditch's Ruffians Barber Shop for World Cuts, a football-inspired activation from Viagogo and Ruffian, Redknapp recalled his first impressions of Dowden: "Amy, yeah she was lovely, absolutely lovely girl." He added, referencing her recovery from breast cancer: "I hope Amy is okay now, obviously she had some health problems, but she was fantastic."
Redknapp explained that producers sent Dowden to his home for an audition to gauge his suitability. However, the location chosen for the trial left him floored. On his podcast, The Harry Redknapp Show, he said: "She came down and said, 'We've booked up the Meyrick Park Golf club for you to go there'. I said, 'I can't go there, my mates are all playing golf there. I'm going to be dancing around with a young bird, they're going to think, 'What's he up to?'."
Audition Moved to Kitchen
Given his reservations, producers relocated the audition to a more discreet venue—his own kitchen. After attempting the Cha Cha Cha, Redknapp admitted he quickly recognised the programme wasn't for him. "When I trod on her feet about six times - I think they realised I couldn't dance," he laughed.
He ultimately decided to decline the opportunity, saying: "I just decided that it [Strictly] wasn't something that I wanted to do. I would have been no good." When pressed about hidden dance skills, he quipped: "Sandra's [his wife] is probably looking for them, she hasn't seen them yet."
Amy Dowden's Strictly Journey
Amy Dowden, 35, makes her comeback to the Strictly ballroom this year after a challenging three-year period. She was forced to pull out of the 2023 series following a breast cancer diagnosis, before returning the subsequent year. In another blow, she departed the show while partnered with JLS member JB Gill after falling unwell backstage. She made another return last year, though her celebrity partner, Thomas Skinner, became the first contestant eliminated.
Names confirmed for the 2026 series thus far include Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem and Chris Appleton, with numerous additional announcements expected shortly.
This evening, Celebrity Gogglebox will see Amy and her Strictly co-star Carlos Gu take to the sofa for the first time as they join this week's line-up, swapping the ballroom for a night in front of the television to share their take on the week's biggest and best TV moments. Celebrity Gogglebox airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
