Sam Thompson has warned his Hits Radio colleague Will Best against a habit he branded the "worst thing" as Will prepares for the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Will has signed up for the BBC programme's 24th series, where he has been partnered with Australian professional Dianne Buswell. He will compete against the likes of EastEnders' Lacey Turner, television personality Dani Dyer and singer Delta Goodrem.
Will is perhaps best recognised for co-presenting Big Brother alongside AJ Odudu and fronting the Hits Radio Breakfast Show with former Strictly: It Takes Two presenter Fleur East and James Barr.
Sam Thompson's advice for Will Best
Sam, whose podcast colleague Pete Wicks took part in series 22 and whose former partner Zara McDermott joined the programme in 2023, offered some words of wisdom to Will during a recent podcast interview.
The former Made In Chelsea star remarked: "Bit of advice for you, and I've not done Strictly, but my God, have we been around it, from Pete and ex-girlfriends and whatever, I would say it consumes your life.
"And the best thing that you have, and I think Fleur probably has given you this as well, the best advice you can ever get is stay in the real world as much as you can. Do not get sucked in.
"Because they try to suck you into like - and 'they' doesn't mean anyone - that's not the BBC, or anything. It's just the zeitgeist. It tries to suck you into, 'This is life'. And the best thing you can do, I think, is remain in real life."
Sam continued by suggesting that his time on Big Brother and Hits Radio will "massively help" him, noting that he is "lucky" to have these experiences to rely upon.
Will Best on switching to 'Big Brother mode'
Will indicated that he might need to take a similar approach to the one he uses for Big Brother, acknowledging he has to shift his mindset into "Big Brother mode", watch the programme, and take in everything people are discussing about it online.
He explained: "Otherwise, I would just sit there stewing and being like, 'I can't remember the steps. I'm gonna be s**t."
Sam responded: "It's the worst thing you can do. And then you can't get out of that hole. It's really, really (tough) - in the best possible way, by the way, cos it's such a huge, amazing, brilliant show."
Will Best takes a break from radio commitments
This follows Will's announcement that he would be taking a break from his radio commitments while he is needed on Strictly and Big Brother. His co-host, Fleur, broke the "sad" news during the live Breakfast Show.
She said: "Now, we all know right now our very own Will Best is the busiest man in show business. Hits Radio Breakfast, Big Brother, Strictly Come Dancing. Will, we're going to give you a little break... A gift from us to you."
Will responded: "Oh, that's really sweet, thanks guys! [I'm going to] polish up the dancing shoes, get the twinkly toes ready to go. And that means that I can represent you guys to the best of my ability."
