Strictly Come Dancing host Josh Widdicombe has confessed to ongoing money anxieties, admitting he is 'scared' of losing his newfound fortune. The 43-year-old comedian, who recently landed the role of presenter on the BBC One show alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, revealed during an appearance on the Parenting Hell podcast that he still dreads paying his tax bills because of a deep-seated fear of returning to financial hardship.
A Reluctant Taxpayer
Speaking to fellow comedian Rob Beckett on the podcast, Widdicombe said: 'I put it off because I don't want to go through that horrible process, like, I've got a tax bill for this month and I know I've got the email waiting there...I just can't.' When Beckett asked if the reluctance stemmed from disliking seeing the money leave his account, Widdicombe simply replied: 'Yeah.'
Beckett then suggested that Widdicombe has a 'problem with money,' adding: 'I think you're scared of it, you're scared of it going now that you've had it because you never had it, so it panics you a bit.' Widdicombe agreed, stating: 'Yeah, that is true. But that is normal.' He contrasted his current feelings with his earlier career, saying: 'It's worse in my head now than it was when I was £14,000 on Dora The Explorer [the magazine], when I didn't give as s***. But my life's way easier.'
Preparing for the Glitterball
Elsewhere in the podcast, Widdicombe revealed he is undergoing a pre-show makeover ahead of his new role on the glamorous dance competition. He shared: 'I've got a skin appointment, I didn't have a skin routine, I want it... I was blushing too much I didn't like it, I go quite red and I thought 'I wanna deal with this' and so I am dealing with it. I am having it sorted. It's not blushing so much as redness which only gets worse as you get older.'
He joked that he is 'throwing loads of money at the situation' in the hope of correcting the issue before filming begins later this year. Widdicombe will co-host the new series of Strictly Come Dancing alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, marking his biggest television role to date.
