Strictly's Paul Merson breaks silence on 'really hard' part of BBC show on It Takes Two

Paul Merson got candid about his stint on Strictly Come Dancing during a chat on It Takes Two, this Tuesday, September 24.

The former footballer made his debut in the competition, which has been called out by fans over its line-up, alongside Karen Hauer, his professional dancing partner. However, during his discussion with presenter Fleur East, who hosts the Strictly spin-off show on BBC Two, couldn't help but notice the immense difference between Paul Merson's days on the football pitch and the glitz and glamour of the ballroom.

Paul gave a rather hesitant "Yeah? " when asked if he was having fun, triggering a wave of laughter across the studio. But he soon highlighted one of his biggest struggles in the show.

While some of his co-stars may experience mishaps in or out of the training room, as Nick Knowles proved himself by injuring his arm while changing a tyre, Paul said he struggled to adapt to the "showbizy bit" of Strictly as he continued: "You know what? I don't know that's the bit I find really hard, the showbizy bit."

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Paul Merson let slip about how alien the entertainment world feels to him as he confessed: "I'm a footballer, put your boot on, you get the job done. I find that- I'm like a little shy boy! Oh, stop it", reports the Express. And when everyone else belted out Vindaloo after their performance, Paul revealed the heart-warming reason he signed up for Strictly was his mother's adoration of the series.

This prompted Fleur to ask Paul about his mother's fascination for the show, he replied affectionately: "Yeah! My mum loved it, she absolutely loves it. If it wasn't for my dad I wouldn't have been a footballer." With Paul and his professional partner Karen Hauer earning 17 points for their American Smooth, they find themselves tied at 14th place with Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal on the scoreboard.

This upcoming weekend, the pair are set to dazzle with a Salsa routine to the fiery hit 'Fireball'. Karen couldn't hide her excitement about their performance, gushing: "This is actually going to be a Salsa that people recognise! ". She added, "So it's great. He's brilliant, working hard, focused and I'm going to get those hips moving a lot."

Prior to Paul Merson's appearance on It Takes Two, Pete Wicks and his own dancing partner Jowita Przystal pushed the rumour mill into overdrive as viewers were convinced romance was blossoming between them. The TOWIE star has been known for his chaotic love life but he was recently caught gushing over Jowita.

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