Hockey star turned broadcaster Sam Quek might be ‘daunted’ about appearing on Strictly Come Dancing but she is getting on famously with one of her fellow contestants
Olympic gold medallist Sam Quek might be used to playing hockey at the highest level but the athlete has ‘never felt nerves like it’ when it comes to the Strictly live shows
Sam, 35, won 125 caps in her sport for England and Great Britain, including a gold medal with Team GB at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Now she’s putting on her dancing shoes to join professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, who reached the final last year with Layton Williams. The Ukrainian has already praised his celebrity partner for being ‘lovely’ and ‘caring’.
“As a former hockey player I’m used to playing as part of a team but the thought of dancing on the ballroom floor in front of a live audience is quite daunting,” said Sam. “I’m chuffed to be a part of this legendary show and quickstep into the shoes of a performer, it feels absolutely surreal but I’m ready for every bit of the adventure.”
The star has been spotted getting on famously with fellow Strictly recruit Pete Wicks ahead of the live shows. The 36-year-old former The Only Way Is Essex cast member and the Olympian were seen sharing a joke as they hung out at the cast hotel, holding wine glasses as they put the world to rights.
Cheeky Pete also took a light hearted swipe at EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, another contender on this year’s Strictly, at the launch show. He told host Claudia Winkleman: “I am in for a penny, in for a pound. I’m never going to be here again, unless I’m Jamie,” referring to the actor winning the show’s Christmas special.
Born in the Wirral, sports star Sam was awarded an MBE for Services to Hockey in 2017. After her retirement from the sport, she turned to broadcasting where she presented BBC Morning Live and was a team captain on Question of Sport.
The athlete anchored the BBC’s Tokyo Olympic Games Breakfast programme and is an able presenter on a variety of sports including American football, football and cricket.
Sam is happily married to Tom Mairs, a property entrepreneur who appeared as a Secret Millionaire on the show of the same name back in 2010. The couple first met at a bar in Liverpool and got married at Chester Racecourse in 2018.
Tom and Sam had even attended the same school but had never met due to being in different year groups. They have two children, daughter Molly and son Isaac, and the star joked that when she called her husband to say she had news he said: ‘You’re not pregnant again are you?’
