Strictly So Far…
Series One
During the opening series of Strictly Come Dancing, Anton partnered the popular Operatic singer, Lesley Garrett C.B.E.. They charmed audiences with their blossoming friendship and Lesley’s rapid improvement. After receiving consistently high scores, they reached the semi-final. Lesley’s passion for dancing is still thriving, she has combined further with Anton for a Christmas Special of the show and they have also collaborated for special events and the making of the BBC documentary, Kings of Waltzes.
Erin was partnered with the first sportsperson to appear on the programme; former England Rugby star Martin Offiah, M.B.E.. Although he initially struggled with the ballroom dances, the latin rounds uncovered a talented mover who was surprisingly light on his feet. Under the strict instruction of his very own “Officer Boag,” Martin progressed to fourth place in the series and he returned to Jive once more with Erin on the subsequent Christmas special in 2004.
Series Two
In the second series, Anton partnered the much admired television presenter and charity campaigner, Esther Rantzen, O.B.E.. With a new hairstyle for the Rumba and a daring garter in the Tango, Esther soaked up every moment of her dancing experience. This experience was unfortunately short lived, as they were voted out of the show in the third week of the competition. They have since worked together further for various charity events.
Erin competed in the second series of the show with comedian and now published author, Julian Clary. Faced with the challenge of expressing himself in front of a live audience with no words to play with, Julian suffered from bad nerves and struggled with the confident and commanding characters of many of the dances. A strong bond with Erin, astonishing improvement and some hilarious duels with the various judges all helped the couple to surprise many by reaching the final. Julian continues to enjoy dancing every Christmas, when a few ballroom dances inevitably appear in his pantomimes.
Series Three
Anton had his own taste of My Fair Lady in series three, when he was paired with former Eastender Patsy Palmer. With dizziness, nerves and difficult footwork to contend with, Patsy found both training and performing equally challenging. Despite having plenty of fun together, Patsy’s lack of confidence led to problems out on the floor and although she slowly began to let herself go and delivered many successful ballroom dances, they were eventually voted out of the competition in the quarter-finals.
Erin danced with Olympic hurdler and former world record holder Colin Jackson in series three. A natural dancer, Colin’s snake-hips, latin flair and beautiful ballroom dancing made them early favourites for the title and their biggest challenge was to stay in this position. He was the first male celebrity to receive a ten, the first to gain a perfect score of forty and he also topped the list of points awarded to male celebrities for various individual dances. However despite the records and some fantastic dancing, they were brutally pushed into second place in the final. Colin and Erin returned to win the Christmas Special: Champion of Champions edition of the show with a perfect score at the end of 2006 and Colin has gone on to explore the role of the man in dance in an upcoming television documentary.
Series Four
Anton competed in the fourth series with Dead Ringers comedienne Jan Ravens. Despite a flair for the ballroom dances and much improvement throughout the show, nerves would get the better of her when performing live. Although her confidence was tested and frustrations bubbled in the background, they overcame their problems to perform a wonderful Viennese Waltz in the fifth week of the series. Unfortunately, they were dealt a cruel twist of fate when they were voted out of the programme on the very same show.
Erin found herself in the safe arms of former Manchester United goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel, in the fourth series of the show. It was certainly a game of two halves, as whilst they glided through the ballroom rounds, the latin dances proved to be more difficult. Peter’s growing love for dancing and his immense desire to learn endeared him to the audience. With a smile still stuck on Schmeichel’s face, they finally left the competition in the seventh week.
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