Shaun Wright-Phillips says winning Strictly Come Dancing would be a bigger achievement than his Premier League and FA Cup titles, and he is ready to move his football trophies aside for the Glitterball. The former Chelsea star told the Star: “If there isn't a space there will be one made if we win this thing. Everything will take a side seat, and the strictly ball will go right where it needs to be. So everybody can see it.”
Tough week in training
The 44-year-old and his partner Alexis Warr survived dancing the Quickstep to I'm A Believer by The Monkees last weekend, but he has been struggling for confidence. “Well, up until now I thought I handled it quite well, but I would say this week, in terms of frustration, anger at myself, it's been tough,” he admitted. “I haven't stopped working hard to try and accomplish what Alexis has been teaching me, but frustration and emotionally, (last week), especially Monday and Tuesday, has been a very tough week for me.”
Dad Ian Wright lifts the mood
Having his famous dad Ian Wright around has at least lifted his mood. “He came and watched us the other day,” Shaun spilled. “He had a laugh with us, and it's almost like I know him, like, clockwork. I said to everybody, just give him three minutes. And as soon as he set in, and then just the way he went, and it was brilliant and amazing having him there, and in seeing, in many ways, how tough it was, even though he was having a laugh with it, but he understood the complexities of the routine that I was learning and how complicated and hard it actually is.”
His partner Alexis did a double take when she saw Wrighty: "I felt like I was seeing two of the same people. So I didn't know where to look, and I told Shaun, 'I see where you get it from here' - father like son."
Alexis scarier than Mourinho
Speaking of Alexis, she’s been a tough task master for Shaun but is she tougher than his old boss at Chelsea - Jose Mourinho? He laughed: "I would say, yes cos Mourinho was sometimes unpredictable. Alexis is most probably scarier. Mourinho you never know when it's coming. I'm kind of prepared for when Alexis has come in, so I'll just be like, 'All right, understand I'll do it again'."
Used to pressure and scrutiny
Shaun has been the bookies favourite to leave Strictly for a couple of weeks now, but he’s used to pressure and scrutiny. “Nothing's really hurt me,” he explained. "I grew up in the world of football from a very young age, where nothing was filtered, and every emotion or passion that the manager felt, he needed to say, he got it across however he wanted to get across. So I've always found taking criticism and trying to turn it into a positive, learn from it, build from it. And I'm pretty much doing the same thing with the judges, even if I ain't expecting anything positive, there's still maybe something in there that can make me get better and improve on what I'm doing."
But one thing he has had to adapt is his game face: "I can't have the game face, or Motsi will mark me down. So I've got to try and smile through it. It is hard, the emotions especially through training and watching everything happening, it is tough. And to think you're only three weeks in, it's only gonna get harder. But you know what? I don't really do things that I'm not all in for. So, I'm enjoying it, smiling as much as possible. And I'm just enjoying the whole family, not just the pros and the other celebs, but the whole staff behind the scenes that nobody really gets to see as well."
