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Strictly's first blind comedian Chris McCausland says he 'hopes to make people laugh' as he admits he has 'no idea' how his journey will go Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected] By Grant Tucker Entertainment Editor Published: 19:02 EDT, 8 September 2024 | Updated: 19:10 EDT, 8 September 2024 e-mail View comments When stand-up comedian Chris McCausland was unveiled as Strictly Come Dancing’s first blind contestant, everyone had the same question: how can you dance if you can’t see? It is a question the 47-year-old has asked himself, and he admits he still has 'no idea'. The Liverpool-born comic lost his eyesight in his early 20s due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa and has not watched Strictly before.
He said: 'I’ve never seen the show for obvious reasons. I can’t even go back and watch it to see what it involves, how intricate the dances are. 'All we can do is figure it out as we’re going along because I need to be in it and doing it to see what works and what doesn’t.
' When stand-up comedian Chris McCausland was unveiled as Strictly Come Dancing’s first blind contestant, everyone had the same question: how can you dance if you can’t see? It is a question the 47-year-old has asked himself, and he admits he still has 'no idea' Chris has described the training process as a ‘learning curve’ for him and his professional dancer, and hopes to make people laugh when he hits the Strictly ballroom on September 14. He said: ‘I’ll be having a laugh. There’s no point in me being here if I can’t have a laugh along the way and take the mickey out of myself a little bit.
’ Read More Blind Strictly star Chris McCausland explains what his dance training entails and reveals why he doesn't want to 'inspire' the visually impaired There will be things that I probably can’t do or I get wrong and you need to roll with it and be able to laugh at the failures because hopefully I won’t be the only one making mistakes.’ 'That is the problem when we’re doing the group dance, I can’t see the mistakes everyone else is making. I’m only aware of my own mistakes.
' Chris said he was hoping to change people’s perceptions of what blind people can do. He said: ‘For me it’s not inspiring, I don’t think blind people need inspiring as much as they need representation. 'I’ve got in a taxi before and someone’s said, “oh wow, you did the stairs on your own.
” 'People think you can’t do anything if you’re blind.’ The Liverpool-born comic lost his eyesight in his early 20s due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa and has not watched Strictly before Chris has described the training process as a ‘learning curve’ for him and his professional dancer, and hopes to make people laugh when he hits the Strictly ballroom on September 14 Chris said he was hoping to change people’s perceptions of what blind people can do ‘So it’s more for everybody watching who isn’t exposed to somebody who’s blind, who has got these really antiquated ideas.’ He added: ‘The only problem with that is if I’m sh** it doesn’t help anybody.
' Speaking to MailOnline about how he was going to dance without being able to see, he confessed: 'I have no idea! They asked what they could do because I’ve never seen the show for obvious reasons. 'I can’t even go back and watch it to see what it involves, how intricate the dances are. 'All we can do is figure it out as we’re going along because I need to be in it and doing it to see what works and what doesn’t.
' Chris continued: 'Everyone’s been really flexible, really supportive, and me and my partner are just figuring out ways for them to teach me and for me to learn. 'It’s a learning curve and hopefully the mistakes we make along the way will allow us to have a bit of a laugh, make some funny VTs and show the mistakes, because there will be a lot of mistakes along the way, I imagine.' Speaking about his visual impairment previously while taking part in Channel 4 series Scared of the Dark, Chris explained: 'I'm blind but I don't see black.
WHAT IS RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA? Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina - the light sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. Common symptoms include difficulty seeing at night and a loss of side (peripheral) vision. RP is an inherited disorder that results from harmful changes in any one of more than 50 genes.
These genes carry the instructions for making proteins that are needed in cells within the retina, called photoreceptors. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreased peripheral vision. Source: National Eye Institute Advertisement 'I still see light and space, I still have 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.
'It just gives you that awareness that you're taking that away from me. I'm a slave to my iPhone like everybody else. So on paper you go, 'Well, I should nail this,' but in one area I should be more practically adjusted.
'It'll be quite interesting to see how quickly everybody else gets to that point. I'm quite looking forward to being the most able bodied person for a while. It doesn't happen often.
' The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch show will air on Saturday 14th September at 19:20 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. STRICTLY LINE-UP 2024 Chris McCausland Age: 46 Profession: Comedian Chris says: 'If anybody out there is thinking - How the hell is he going to do that? - then rest assured that I am thinking exactly the same thing.' Dr.
Punam Krishan Age: Unknown Profession: GP and broadcaster Punam says: 'I have watched Strictly every year and it feels extra special that it’s the 20th year, I can’t believe I will be the one getting Strictly-fied.' Toyah Willcox Age: 66 Profession: Singer, actor, presenter Toyah says: 'I'm super excited and love this show. To be a part of it, the spray tan the glitter.
Its a landmark year for me I came a pensioner, Glasto and now I get spray tans.' Pete Wicks Age: 36 Profession: Reality star Pete says: 'Dancing live in front of the nation every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying.' Shayne Ward Age: 39 Profession: Actor and singer Shayne says: 'I'm no stranger to live TV, but dancing Latin and Ballroom in front of millions is a whole new level.
' Tom Dean Age: 24 Profession: Olympic medal winning swimmer Tom says: 'Now I can officially talk about how excited I am to get stuck into something new, meet some brilliant people and get dancing' Nick Knowles Age: 61 Profession: TV presenter Nick says: 'I am going to really go for it I will throw myself at it 100 per cent!' JB Gill Age: 37 Profession: Singer JB says: 'A lot of the ballroom styles are very alien to me - I didn't do those dances growing up. I am not a trained dancer.' Wynne Evans Age: 52 Profession: Opera singer, presenter Wynne says: 'The stuff I'm nervous about is the ones that involve jumping, I don't really want to do the jive, I'm nervous about that.
Tasha Ghouri Age: 25 Profession: Model and reality star Tasha says: 'I’ve been watching the show since I was little – it's a firm Ghouri family favourite - so this is a total dream come true.' Sarah Hadland Age: 53 Profession: Actress Sarah says: 'I feel particularly excited to be part of such an iconic show in its 20th year.' Jamie Borthwick Age: 30 Profession: EastEnders star Jamie says: 'I had a ball doing the Christmas special, so when I was asked to join it was the easiest yes!' Sam Quek Age: 35 Profession: Former GB hockey player and presenter Sam says: 'I am so relieved it is out there now it has been hard to keep a secret! The rumours were spreading and I had to lie! I am used to dancing on a girls night out but I will give it my all' Paul Merson Age: 56 Profession: Former footballer Paul says: 'I won't worry about it until it starts but when it does I will be nervous - I have only danced three times in my life!' Share or comment on this article: Strictly's first blind comedian Chris McCausland says he 'hopes to make people laugh' as he admits he has 'no idea' how his journey will go e-mail Add comment.
