Will Best believes he can now "go for it" on Strictly Come Dancing after his Big Brother hosting duties came to an end, freeing up more time for rehearsals.
The TV host, 41, has been balancing fatherhood with hosting Big Brother on ITV and learning routines with professional partner Dianne Buswell. With the ITV show now finished, his focus is on the BBC dance competition.
Extra Rehearsal Time
Best explained that his previous schedule involved early Friday camera runs before travelling across London by motorbike to reach Big Brother rehearsals, leaving him tired for Saturday's live shows.
"I think I can go for it now," he said. "I guess I was maybe a little bit tired on a Saturday because I'd been up really late and all the adrenaline. So I maybe now I will have a bit more sleep going into Saturday. Which could be nice."
He also praised Buswell's choreography, saying: "Dianne's routines are always so full of choreography. It's content-heavy. I kind of take it as a bit of a compliment. You feel like I can do it, so you push me, right? And so I think it's competitive in that way, in that it's like, let's challenge ourselves."
Fatherhood Inspiration
Best recently became a father to baby Sonny, his first child with fiancée Tobi Rose. Buswell, who gave birth in March, and Best often discuss baby sleep and feeding patterns between rehearsals for dances like this weekend's Quickstep.
Rather than a distraction, fatherhood spurs him on. He said: "I do think before we dance every Saturday, I do just get a little mental image of Sonny and Tobi, my fiancé, watching... I think it just reminds me that this competition it is supposed to be fun. It is a competition, but it's also, more importantly, a fun entertainment show where we're just trying to have a good time and entertain people."
He added: "Whatever happens, whether I do really well or I fall flat on my face, either one will be fun for Sonny to watch in a few years' time. So it feels kind of win win."
Tribute to Fiancée
Best paid tribute to Tobi Rose, saying: "I'm the lucky, you know, I get to go off and hang out with Dianne and learn a fun dance, whereas my amazing fiancé, she's at home all day with a brand new baby, which is tough."
He said the decision to take on Strictly was a joint one: "Right from the start, she was like, 'this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You've got to do it'... The only thing she said is, promise me that once Strictly's over, we'll have a good amount of time, just the three of us, family time."
Best hosted Big Brother with AJ Oduba, a past Strictly finalist who has been giving him tips, mainly warning him how hard the competition can be. Oduba is tipped to enter the I'm A Celebrity jungle later this month.
Asked how she might fare, Best said: "AJ is like such an amazing person... She's the reason I got Big Brother in the first place... She is one in a million. So people will hopefully see that side of her and how great she is. I think she could win, for sure!"
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday and Sunday nights on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
