When this year’s Strictly Come Dancing line-up was announced, you could have been forgiven for asking “Hamza who?!” But after just one fab-u-lous performance in the first week, the nation fell in love with the CBeebies presenter and wildlife expert Hamza Yassin and he’s now one of the favourites to lift the Glitterball Trophy.
But it’s not just his gentle personality that has got us all hooked, it’s also Hamza’s unbelievable skills on the dance floor. The photographer, who has lived in the Scottish Highlands since he was 21, is a natural when it comes to nailing routines with his great sense of rhythm and impressive lifting ability. Even the judges are often flabbergasted by how talented he is.
Unsurprisingly, no one is more thrilled about his potential than his professional partner Jowita Przystal, 28, and when we meet them for a chat in between rehearsals, it’s clear that the pair share a strong bond and huge affection for each other.
Here, Hamza, 32, tells us about losing weight since he started training, while Jowita, who has a celebrity partner for the first time this series, tells us that she knew from day one that he had a special talent…
How’s yourStrictlyexperience been so far, Hamza?
Hamza: One word – fantastic. I’m absolutely loving it. It’s a completely different world to what I’m used to and I’m enjoying every single minute of it. Usually, I’m covered in mosquito repellant, wearing wellies and hiding behind a net. Now I’ve got sequins on and I’m dancing with Jowita.
Are you surprised by how good you are?
Hamza: I didn’t know I had it in me, but someone [Jowita] believed in me. She’s worked so hard with me.
Jowita: He has a sense of rhythm, his musicality, his movement, he’s so light on his feet. So I knew from day one we could achieve a lot of things.
Is it nerve-racking waiting to find out if you’re in the dance-off every week?
Hamza: Yeah, definitely – as everyone else gets called and you know they’re safe. It got down to me and Richie [Anderson in week three] and I just leaned over to Jowita and said, “Thank you for everything.” I know they say it’s in no particular order but your brain doesn’t comprehend that.
Have you been surprised by how popular you are with the fans?
Hamza: I didn’t expect this reaction, far from it. When I first got announced as the 13th contestant, a lot of people were like, “Who? A BBC cameraman?” But I really love the support. We couldn’t appreciate it more.
How do you feel in the moments before you have to dance live?
Hamza: Yeah, a little bit nervous – I’m not going to lie. It’s good to have Jowita with me. We just chat to each other and she just puts my nerves at ease.
Jowita: I think it’s important that we both connect before we actually go on the floor. So I really want him to take his mind off everything that is around and focus on us and the music – and just enjoy that moment because there are so many things that can make you nervous or distract you. I think it’s all about the pure joy and fun of the Saturday night. So usually, before we go on, we dance and we sing songs.
Hamza: But there’s beauty about it as well. Once you’re on the dance floor, you don’t see anybody because the spotlight’s on you but everything else is black. So every now and then, you’ll hear someone go, “Woo!” and you realise they’re there. But you’re going through the motions of doing the dance, then the dance is finished and then the lights come up and you’re like, “People can actually see us. We did it!”
What’s scarier, facing the judges or facing some of the wildlife that you’ve encountered?
Hamza: I want to say the judges. The wildlife I can understand and, even though it’s scary, I can see if I’m on their menu or not. Some of the polar bears will look at you, and you’re like, “Yeah, I’m on his menu.” And you have to talk them down. Same with lions, cheetahs and predators like that. But with the judges, you never know what they’re going to pick up on. I would say the judges are scarier.
Have you seen your body change?
Hamza:Yeah, so I was 118.6kg when I first started Strictly. Now I’m 112.5kg. So it’s roughly a kilo a week. But I started off with bad knees and the knees are slowly getting better. But each week, it’s a different part of the body that hates me because you’re using a different part for that particular dance. I’ve been having ice baths to try to recover. I sit in them for 45 minutes every evening, basically until the ice melts and then get up and have a shower. I’m literally freezing my glitterballs!
How do you stay in for 45 minutes?!
Hamza: Most of my filming is in the Arctic, Antarctica or at the Poles. Minus 43 is a normal day for me.
Jowita: He’s usually so hot. When we rehearse, I’m wearing a jumper over a jumper with a jacket on top.
Hamza: And I’m just sweating!
You must be feeling great, Hamza?
Hamza: Yeah, I feel fitter, healthier. I have more of a spring in my step.
You two obviously get on so well…
Hamza: Sometimes when we’re training, we look at the clock and go, “Where’s the time gone?” We’re having so much fun.
You have dyslexia – does it impact your training?
Hamza: I think in 3D, so I know spatially where everything is. So I think my dyslexia helps me in my dancing because Jowita will show me a video of what I’m doing wrong and what it needs to look like.
Jowita: Every time I show him, then he can repeat it easily. He visually sees what needs to happen and then he can copy that, which is really good and quite unusual.
Hamza: I want to say to anyone watching at home who has got dyslexia to see it as a gift rather than a hindrance. If it wasn’t for my dyslexia, I wouldn’t be the man that I am now. I’d probably be a dentist, following in my family’s footsteps and doing all that. Whereas dyslexia, for me, is my gift, my superpower. I picked it up and I ran with it.
Are you hoping to go all the way in the competition?
Hamza: We’d love to go the whole way, for sure.
Jowita: Everyone wants to go as far as possible. Everyone would love to be in the final – and that’s the truth.
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