Will Bayley: “I was thinking of making tough moves to celebrate the Tokyo Games”

“I never thought you could connect to dance, and I didn’t believe it until I felt something that week.” Will Bayley says as he recalls his emotional Couple’s Choice routine Strictly Come Dancing.

Table tennis Paralympic champion who was born with arthrogryposis, offered one of the program’s most moving routines ever, when he and his partner Janette Manrara performed contemporary dance for Lukas Graham’s 7 Years to tell the story of his life and the struggles he won.

The 2019 contestant continues: “On Monday, we went to Great Ormond Street and visited my old room in the booth and went through the stairs, and Janette wanted me to experience the feeling, and so I think I did during that week. .

“I didn’t even feel we had an audience when we did it because it was our own little moment.”

The routines got Will’s highest score in the Strictly – an impressive 32/40 – but the disaster struck sadly the following week when he was injured during practice and eventually forced him to leave the race altogether.

In our latest section Back to the Ballroom in the series, Will reveals why he has finally got rid of the disappointment of ending the program, and tells how he won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics earlier this year, and he tells of an almost tightly inspired moment …

The continuation of Strictly was shocking …

Of course, I knew the program was popular, but I don’t think I knew how popular it was before I was in it. During that time, I was going to the malls or something and everyone knew me – I wasn’t used to it. So that was the most shocking thing about how things changed.

It has been silent ever since, but at the time it was really surreal and life changed at that moment. Since then, I’ve managed to take the fans to table tennis, and the people who watched me at Strictly have been following my progress, so it’s nice.

I learned more about dealing with nerves and other things in Strictly than in sports…

Strictly’s nerves aren’t like playing table tennis because at least you know what you’re doing at table tennis – you’re comfortable and you’ve been practicing for it your whole life. With the dance, I didn’t really know what was going on, I felt like I kept most of the dancing alive. You also know very well that 12 million people are following you.

There were a few dances with big lifts, and I thought to my mind, “What happens if I drop Janette?” because I dropped him many times in training. So it was pretty full and high pressure.

But being in Team Strictly is pretty similar to being in Team GB …

You all work towards a goal and everyone who is in it really succeeds in their own way, so they have a certain kind of determination and fire. It’s like in Team GB, we all support each other and get the most out of each other, and that’s what I felt when I was at Strictly.

I trained next door David James and Kelvin Fletcher most days at the dance studio – we were literally next door, so we went to watch lunch and motivated each other.

It was a great education alongside Kelvin, and to be honest, it wasn’t actually scary!

I remember seeing Kelvin dance for the first time …

Janette and I watched her in the auditorium on the Friday before that Saturday’s first live performance, and I just remember watching Janette and I didn’t even say anything when I just thought, “Huh, is this the standard? Is that what I’m against?”

Janette just laughed. We didn’t even say anything, we didn’t say anything. It was just ridiculous, but he was amazing and probably one of my best friends of all time. He supported me so much because I struggled a lot physically, with balance and similar things, and he tried to help me all the time.

I have definitely gotten over that disappointment that I had to withdraw from Strictly…

Blackpool was what I wanted to get to, it was my main goal. And also make Jive, where I was hurt. It was my favorite dance and I was looking forward to it, so it was disappointing. It was the best week I have had in terms of practice and the most reliable in terms of dance.

But that’s what happens, and I’m not sorry. That’s what it is and I look forward to new challenges. Strictly speaking, it was a great experience.

I would definitely go back 100% to pick up the Christmas specials. I would do it, so never say never.

Returning to the finals was amazing

The atmosphere was amazing. I got so much support from everyone, and it was great to watch these guys succeed so well. I love them all and was surprised by the level of the final.

Janette was on my back when I needed her, and you need it as a teammate …

We got along so well, he was so supportive. He kept in touch throughout my injury and so far, and it’s really nice. I think we are friends forever.

Sometimes because of my injury, he didn’t know what I could or couldn’t do. He always changed dances. When we did the Pokemon dance, he literally had to change it hours earlier because he had been trying these few steps all week and I couldn’t do it. I think his versatility is because he was put with me because he can confuse it.

If I had to dance with someone else, it would have been …

There are probably two of them … Katya and Oti. Katya because I really got along with her and she was so funny and infuriated me every time I saw her. She was so lovely and very friendly, but I know she worked hard for me and I would have noticed it.

And Oti, he’s a workhorse and he’s amazing. I saw how he worked with Kelvin and how much he invested. He would have gotten the best out of me, 100%.

My favorite routine Strictly is…

Kelvin’s Samba is there. And Aston Merrygold is probably my favorite competitor in the program because he was good. I was shocked when he was voted on, it was ridiculous.

My dream Strictly celebrity is…

Anthony Joshua it would be pretty cool. I train near him at the English Sports Institute and he’s a really nice guy. It would be interesting to see some heavyweight boxer dancing. I think he has some moves too!

The funniest place I’ve broken my Strictly shop is…

I’ve tried not to do it and embarrass myself, but in some of the weddings I’ve been to, I’ve given it some Strictly movements. But nothing too embarrassing. I thought of doing it in Tokyo for my party, but then I thought, “Nah!”. I would have just looked silly, so I didn’t do it!