Strictly Come Dancing fans were left with their "mouth on the floor" when they realised Shaun Wright-Phillips' dad is sporting legend Ian Wright. The former England international showed up to support Shaun during rehearsals for the third week of the competition.
Week three performances
As week three arrived for Strictly, Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola opened the show, followed by Will Best and Dianne Buswell who scored 26 and 25 respectively. It was then time for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr to take to the ballroom for their Quickstep routine.
Shaun admitted he found it "very, very hard", and received mixed reviews from the judging panel. Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas scored the couple a 3, leading to a total of 15. Ahead of their routine, viewers at home were pleased to see Ian Wright show up during rehearsal to support his son.
Family background
Born in October 1981, Shaun was adopted at the age of three by Ian Wright, who was the former boyfriend of his mother, Sharon Phillips. Shaun, who is of Trinidadian and Grenadian descent, grew up in London. He initially played for Man City from 1999 to 2005, when he became one of the most exciting young English players of his generation. Prior to this, he developed his craft as a youth player for Nottingham Forest.
Some viewers were left in shock that Ian is Shaun's dad. On X, @jaymac_86 wrote: "Ian Wright looks the same age as Shaun Wright-Phillips! Mouth hit the floor". @thatrobster added: "I did not realise Shaun’s dad is Ian Wright. I would have put them at the same age" as @rinareenarae penned: "I'm sorry, Ian Wright is Shaun's dad??!?!! They look the same age".
Competition continues
Last week, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and professional dancer Amy Dowden sadly bid farewell to the ballroom after losing out to Jaime Winstone and partner Carlos Gu. Now, the remaining stars will be battling it out as they dance a gruelling schedule to make it to the final - or at the very least, Blackpool ballroom. This year's other famous faces to watch include singer Delta Goodrem, Emmerdale's Lawrence Robb, and Gavin & Stacey favourite Melanie Walters.
