The former England rugby captain is fighting to keep his place in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing after finishing in the bottom two last week
Kerslake is her husband’s biggest supporter but will be absent for this week’s show
Chris Robshaw returns to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom tonight as he fights to keep his place in the competition.
The former England rugby captain has had a tough start to his time on the BBC show, finishing 14th out of 15 couples in the opening show before going one better with a 13th place finish last weekend. With a combined score of 30 from the first two weeks, the public vote was not enough to save him from the dreaded first dance-off, but he was saved by the judges who sent TV personality Tom Skinner home instead.
Despite his rocky start, Robshaw says he is having the time of his life on Strictly and will be desperate to keep his place as he takes to floor on Saturday night to perform a Thor-inspired rumba to ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ alongside professional partner Nadiya Bychkova.
However, he looks set to do so in the absence of his wife and number one supporter, Camilla Kerslake, with a clash of schedules seemingly ruling her out of being at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire to cheer him on.
Kerslake – herself a famous face in the world of classical music – is set to perform at the Super League Grand Final in Manchester on Saturday evening, as Wigan Warriors face Hull Kingston Rovers at Old Trafford. The final kicks off at 6pm, just five minutes before the live Strictly show gets started nearly 200 miles away, meaning she will miss out on watching her husband’s ‘Movie Week’ routine in the flesh.
The 37-year-old – who has welcomed two sons with Robshaw after they got married in 2018 – has performed at several high-profile sporting events over the course of her career, singing the national anthem at Wembley for both the FA Cup final and an NFL match. After previously taking to the field to perfom ahead of the 2022 Super League Grand Final, she will return this evening to sing ‘Jerusalem’ moments before the game gets under way.
Kerslake – who also released two studio albums, performed for royalty and been signed to Gary Barlow’s record label – has been her husband’s biggest fan since he started his Strictly adventure, even admitting she wanted to confront judge Craig Revel-Horwood after Robshaw scored poorly.
Robshaw is taking to the Strictly dancefloor again on Saturday
In an interview with the Daily Mail, she said: “I hope my big mouth won’t get Chris in the bottom two. I was furious last week, a protective wife, and I wanted to climb over the desk and give Craig what for. I’m so protective of my husband. I know how hard he’s working, how much this means to him, and I reacted.”
She also hit out at the “wild” difference in dance experience amongst the cast, as she replied to an Instagram comment from former Love Island winner Amber Gill, which read: “Unpopular opinion: I think having people with so much dance experience is unfair.” In response, Kerslake wrote: “The experience differences are absolutely wild. Definitely.”
It comes after Robshaw took to Instagram himself to share a heartfelt message with fans, having survived the first dance-off of the series. Pouring his heart out, he admitted that his Strictly experience had made him “feel like an athlete again” as he promised his followers he is trying his hardest.
“Hi everyone,” he wrote. “I’m going to try and put how I feel into words – which you guys know is not my strong point (cheers dyslexia). The first thing I want to say is thank you. When I started this show I never thought I’d end up loving to dance. I can admit that I never thought that beyond being a dad to two amazing boys, that the dance floor would give me back by purpose.
“This show has made me feel like an athlete again. A feeling that I have missed. I don’t think I realised how much I missed it, until I joined the show. I know I am not the best dancer, but I hope you can see some potential in me, and I’m worthy of your vote. I want to improve and to continue on this journey for as long as I can.
“I don’t want to let @nadiyabychkova down. I don’t want to let you guys down. I promise you I am trying my best. I’ve even started to waltz in my dreams, it’s on my mind a lot. I’m under no illusion I’m a great dancer, but I promise you I am trying my best,” he added.
“I was gutted at the prospect of leaving last night, and whilst it’s never nice being bottom two, it’s made me want this even more. Perhaps the athlete in me is competitive, but more than that, I am having such a good time.
“To Nadiya, thank you. Thank you for your patience. I hope I haven’t let you down. You are world class, and I want to do you proud. To my amazing wife @camillakerslake thank you for holding down the fort and being my biggest cheerleader, I couldn’t do it without you.
“Thank you to everyone who voted. I hope you know how much I want to be on the show, and how much i am loving being here. The support has been amazing, and I am forever grateful to you all for all the messages and kind words. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and have a good start to the week.”
