1 week Ago By Leah Stanfield
Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland described how he almost became an MI5 spy but ultimately lost out on the job because of his blindness. The comedian, 47, who suffers from the genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa, got down to the last 30 candidates for a job in the Secret Service after applying on a whim. Describing the application process, Chris said he had to do a psychometric test before travelling to the head office in London.
Chris said that during his interview, an employer said: “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but your disability does strike me as being somewhat of a security risk.” In true Chris fashion, he replied with a brilliant joke, quipping: “What’s more undercover than a blind fella meeting his mate in the pub for a pint?” The comedian said that the interviewer answered, “Yeah, good point”, and wrote something down on a piece of paper. Chris laughed: “I like to think that he wrote, ‘More blind people’.
” In the end, Chris didn’t get the job largely because of his deteriorating sight. He continued: “I lost out, basically because of my eyesight. They came to their senses! But I have recently learned that MI5 are specifically recruiting people with sight problems.
..I like to think that that note has inspired them 20 years on.
” Chris worked as a web developer before trying stand-up comedy in his mid-20s. He became a regular on the comedy circuit, with popular shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and an appearance on Live At The Apollo. Following this, he began appearing on TV panel shows such as Mock the Week and Would I Lie To You.
Chris was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at age 22 . It is a hereditary condition that was also suffered by his mum and grandmother. Explaining his condition, Chris said on the Channel 4 series Scared of the Dark that he can “still see light and space” and has "an awareness of the space around me, not in terms of objects and things, but in terms of the room and whether there might be something in front of me".
Chris has made history as the first ever blind Strictly Come Dancing contestant. This week, he will perform in Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom with his professional partner, Dianne Buswell. Strictly Come Dancing : Blackpool Special airs at 6.
45pm on BBC One..
