Strictly Come Dancing champion Chris McCausland has paid a heartfelt tribute to his professional partner Dianne Buswell, praising the "brilliant" way the pair worked together during their winning 2024 run.
The comedian, 49, looked back on the journey during the November 15 episode of Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on ITV. He revealed the unique training methods Buswell, 37, employed to help him master the routines.
Starting from scratch each week
McCausland lost his sight at the age of 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa. Because he could not visually absorb the choreography, Buswell "had to start from scratch" every week.
He explained: "Dianne had to start from scratch with me every Monday because all the other dancers, all the other contestants could watch everybody else's dances each week. So when it became their turn to do a tango, they kind of knew what that was. Whereas, I didn't have any of that. So she had to start from scratch."
The actor went on to say: "Full credit to Dianne because it was just brilliant how we worked together, really, and 100% trust," before adding: "Blackpool was my favourite week. We did American Smooth. It was just joyous to do, really."
Glitterball triumph and mutual praise
The pairing captured viewers' hearts throughout their BBC run and lifted the Glitterball Trophy in December 2024. Following the win, Buswell herself praised McCausland for "changing her life".
Sharing a collection of snaps from the evening on Instagram, she wrote: "My teaching style was 90 percent visual I wouldn't want to teach in a room without mirrors because it was the way I perfected things. With Chris we had to find different ways of making it work.
"And this is what Chris is brilliant as he is a problem solver and he taught me to think outside the box. Just because there's an obstacle in the way doesn't mean you can't get to the destination successfully. I am forever grateful for the friendship I have gained in such an incredible person - he says I changed his life but likewise I see things in a different way now and I'm forever grateful."
The Australian professional continued: "This really was a moment that I'll never forget in my life! I had my beautiful parents in the audience and them seeing me dance was something I wanted for so long the fact they got to see us lift the glitterball was just magical."
This year's pairing
This year, Buswell has been matched with Big Brother host Will Best as she attempts to repeat her success. Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh is available to stream on ITVX.
