Jayde Adams refuses to watch Strictly Come Dancing 2 years after exit
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Jayde Adams has revealed why she hasn’t watched the show since she competed two years ago.
In 2022, the comedian and actress quickly became a fan-favourite contestant while partnered with professional dancer Karen Hauer on the BBC programme.
They soared to popularity in the early weeks of the competition, with one of the biggest highlights being their Flashdance-themed cha-cha-cha for Movie Week.
While speaking to Paul Simper for Metro, Jayde – who has lent her voice-acting talents to the BBC’s animated Christmas special Tiddler – reminisced on her Strictly experience.
When asked whether she’s been watching the 2024 series, which is coming to an end on Saturday night with the finale, the 40-year-old explained why she’s decided instead to ‘move on’.
‘I haven’t watched it. I’ve done it now. Time to move on from some things,’ she responded.
‘I’m still in touch with lots of people from the show. I saw Johannes [Radebe] recently, which was really nice. Vito [Coppola] stays in touch. I speak to Helen Skelton every now and again. Kaye Adams and I are still friends.
‘I’ve met some really cool people but once you’ve seen behind the curtain it’s different. No shade to them.’
Even though Jayde doesn’t watch Strictly anymore, she has still expressed pride in her stint on the show since her time in the competition came to an end.
In October last year, she marked the year anniversary since she and Karen paid homage to Flashdance, sharing clips and videos on Instagram and writing in her caption: ‘The message was: fat is chic.
‘One year ago today, I took my feminist regime nationwide and by doing exactly what I’ve always done – wear lycra and dance – I made a whole bunch of people feel good about themselves and was named by Grazia as the #Strictly moment of 2022. What a feeling.’
Before taking part in the BBC dancing competition, Jayde starred in a variety of TV shows including Good Omens, The Chris Ramsey Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Alma’s Not Normal.
Having played Leanne in Alma’s Not Normal since 2020, the comedian revealed that it’s the part of her career that her parents are most proud of.
‘Because it’s so good. Not only is it really well written, cast and acted but it’s also life changing. The compassion and empathy that the writing has for women that feature in the story is going to change the lives for people like that in the world, especially in the UK,’ she said.
‘I think that’s something to be proud to be a part of.’
Jayde mentioned her sister Jenna, who died in 2011 from a brain tumour when she was 28 years old, saying that she believes her sibling would have ‘loved’ Alma’s Not Normal.
‘My sister was quite wild. She would have seen herself a lot in that TV show, which is why representation really matters,’ she stated.
Looking ahead to Christmas, Jayde is set to star in the upcoming animated special Tiddler, a BBC Christmas Magic Light programme.
She revealed how she was convinced by a friend to join the project, in which she voices several sea creatures.
‘I haven’t got kids, but all my friends do. I didn’t know anything about them and then I mentioned Tiddler to a friend who has got three kids and she launched at me, “If you don’t do this you’re nuts!”’ Jayde recollected.
‘Now I’ve discovered that I’m in a story by one of the biggest authors in the world and I am also in this line-up of amazing actors [including Rob Brydon, Lolly Adefope and Hannah Waddingham]. So, I am absolutely thrilled to find out how successful this all is.’
Jayde added that thanks to her roles in Tiddler, she’s ‘about to be more famous with children than I have ever been as a comedian’.
Sharing some details of the story fans can expect in Tiddler, the performer explained that the titular character is a ‘big liar’… but the big question is, ‘Is he a liar or is he a storyteller?’
‘I’m a storyteller and there’s that famous expression “never let the truth get in the way of a good story”.
‘Tiddler lives by that philosophy and as a storyteller I think it’s beautiful to encourage children to be creative with their language, especially in these times when we are abbreviating everything, and we’ve gone through “brat summer”. Encouraging children with their creative writing is absolutely what the doctor ordered.’
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs on Saturday at 6pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Tiddler is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day.
Jayde Adams refuses to watch Strictly Come Dancing 2 years after exit