Gabby Logan has cast her mind back to her experiences on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing – and admits she was left fearing the nation hated her as she failed to secure votes
Gabby Logan has candidly reflected on a time she felt she was deeply unpopular. The 52-year-old radio and television presenter is best known for hosting sports programs for the BBC, ITV and Channel 5.
In August this year, she will land arguably her biggest job to date – as a new host of Match of the Day following the exit of controversial footballer Gary Lineker. But it is not just giving her two pence about on-pitch action that has drawn attention to Gabs.
She has also enjoyed a foray into the world of competitive reality shows – popping up to present shows like the diving competition Splash! and celebrity sheep herding show Flockstars. Back in 2007, however, Gabby stepped out from behind her presenting lectern to be a contestants on hit show Strictly Come Dancing.
The star was partnered with professional dancer James Jordan and, being season five of the long-running show, this was the time when Tess Daly and the late Sir Bruce Forsyth were hosts of the show. The judging panel consisted of Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and the late Len Goodman.
While Gabby made it through three rounds of the show before she was voted off, she is convinced that she became a hate figure during her time on the ballroom floor. She featured on the series at the same time as her husband, Kenny Logan – was also competing with Gabby’s dance partner James’ wife Ola Jordan.
Wales Online quotes Gabby saying: “I had an amazing experience on Strictly, I was only on it for a few weeks, but I had an amazing experience — but also, a kind of life-changing experience in many ways.”
She elaborated: “[It] sounds a bit dramatic, and you hear people going ‘Strictly changed my life’, but this wasn’t in a good way.”
Giving more clarity, she went on: “When you get voted out of Strictly, it’s so shocking, because you go in every week starting to work on your following week’s dance, and you don’t expect to go home.”
And she revealed she was left being “very much aware that people didn’t like” her during her time on the show.
She also told Jessica Ennis on the Gold Minds podcast: “It was the fact that obviously people didn’t vote for me — and it sounds a bit pathetic — but you realise when it’s a reality show that it’s about whether people like you. And I was very much aware that people didn’t like me.
“I was kind of like, they didn’t like me enough to vote for me… It was a very sobering kind of experience because in the days afterwards, not only was I dreadfully missing the dancing, but also realising I kind of felt like, ‘Oh, what was it about me that people didn’t relate to?'”
While Gabby and James crashed out in week four, her rugby star husband managed to make it through five more weeks before he too was voted off. Their season was awash with big name star – with Sir Rod Stewart’s wife, Penny Lancaster, acting legend Stephanie Beacham, and model bombshell Kelly Brook were among those taking to the dance floor.
The finalists that season included EastEnders star Matt Di Angelo and TV presenter Gethin Jones. While Mis-Teeq singer Alesha Dixon proved to be the victor of the show – and later became a judge on the series before being poached to judge on Britain’s Got Talent.
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