Dame Sarah Storey has spoken about her Strictly Come Dancing experience, describing the many “pockets of joy” she discovered during her time on the show. The 48-year-old Paralympian was voted off the BBC One competition after she and partner Julian Caillon performed a tango to Shania Twain's “That Don’t Impress Me Much” that failed to impress the judges.
The pair landed in the dance-off against House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia and her partner Nancy Xu. Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse all chose to save Bethany and Nancy, ending Dame Sarah's run in the competition.
Putting '100% faith' in a new partner
Speaking to The Standard, Dame Sarah reflected on the experience of putting “100% faith into another person that you’ve only just met”. She smiled as she recalled how that trust “brings joy to people” throughout her journey with Caillon.
She said she was grateful to “have had the opportunity” to meet people whose paths she “might otherwise never have crossed”, noting that the only other place she could have met Caillon would be a Hyrox race. “And the same for all the people that are on it - the cast and the people behind the scenes,” she added.
The intense environment of learning to dance
Dame Sarah described the show as an intense undertaking. “You are learning to dance in this incredible environment and it's a really intense thing to do,” she stressed, adding that the connections she made enhanced her overall experience.
Caillon, who joined Strictly as a professional last year, agreed and explained why he believes the show holds such appeal for viewers. “There's so much going on, you know, everywhere in the world that this little pocket of joy that we get to be a part of on a Saturday and share with the country and share with millions of people even around the world. That's what's so special about it and kind of what's amazing to be a part of.”
Fans react to the Icons theme
Following her elimination, the third of this series, some fans took to social media to suggest the Paralympian had been “let down” by the Icons theme. One wrote on X: “The right person won in that dance off, having said that, Sarah was definitely sabotaged by that stupid theme. Imagine dancing a tango to a jolly pop song. A tango is fierce full of passion, not a happy go lucky dance. The theme let her down.”
Another added: “I’m sorry but I’m calling sabotage. How are you going to give Sarah a Tango and give her a poppy song to dance to? I feel like this theme did them a disservice. Massively.”
Speaking to BBC presenter Abi Clarke on the spin-off show Strictly: Lights Up shortly after her departure, Dame Sarah shared her disappointment at the eviction. “We said to each other backstage, you’ve just got to take on board those comments and put them into practice immediately, and so, that’s what we did,” she said. “I’m also disappointed that I don’t get to bring it on Monday to try and do the same again.”
