Sam Thompson has warned Will Best to avoid a habit he described as the "worst thing" as the TV presenter prepares for his Strictly Come Dancing debut.
Will has joined the latest series of Strictly, paired with Australian professional Dianne Buswell. He will compete against the likes of EastEnders' Lacey Turner, TV star Dani Dyer, and singer Delta Goodrem in the BBC show's 24th series.
Will Best's Strictly challenge
Will is best known for co-hosting Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu and presenting the Hits Radio Breakfast Show with former Strictly: It Takes Two host Fleur East and James Barr, but he admits that the BBC series represents a "terrifying" challenge.
Speaking previously about his inclusion in the show, Will said it was an "absolute dream". But he also admitted that he had "no idea" if he could even dance, but pledged to try to "enjoy every minute of it".
Sam Thompson's advice
Somebody who knows a thing or two about Strictly is Staying Relevant's Sam Thompson. Sam's podcast co-host, Pete Wicks, competed in series 22, while his ex-girlfriend, Zara McDermott, joined the line-up in 2023.
Sam shared some words of advice with Will during a recent interview for the podcast. The former Made In Chelsea star said: "Bit of advice for you, and I've not done Strictly, but my God, have we been around it, from Pete and ex-girlfriends and whatever, I would say it consumes your life."
"And the best thing that you have, and I think Fleur probably has given you this as well, the best advice you can ever get is stay in the real world as much as you can. Do not get sucked in."
"Because they try to suck you into like - and 'they' doesn't mean anyone - that's not the BBC, or anything. It's just the zeitgeist. It tries to suck you into, 'This is life'. And the best thing you can do, I think, is remain in real life."
Sam went on to suggest that his experiences on Big Brother and Hits Radio will "massively help" him. He added that he's "lucky" he has these areas to draw from.
Will's approach
Will suggested that he may have to adopt a similar approach to the one he relies on for Big Brother, admitting he needs to switch his brain into "Big Brother mode", watch the show, and consume everything that people are saying about it online.
He said: "Otherwise, I would just sit there stewing and being like, 'I can't remember the steps. I'm gonna be s**t."
Sam added: "It's the worst thing you can do. And then you can't get out of that hole. It's really, really (tough) - in the best possible way, by the way, cos it's such a huge, amazing, brilliant show."
It comes after Will revealed that he'd be temporarily stepping away from his radio duties while he's needed on Strictly and Big Brother. His co-host, Fleur, shared the "sad" news on the live Breakfast Show. She said: "Now, we all know right now our very own Will Best is the busiest man in show business. Hits Radio Breakfast, Big Brother, Strictly Come Dancing. Will, we're going to give you a little break... A gift from us to you."
Will responded: "Oh, that's really sweet, thanks guys! [I'm going to] polish up the dancing shoes, get the twinkly toes ready to go. And that means that I can represent you guys to the best of my ability."
