Love Islander Zara McDermott Pushed Out of Comfort Zone on Strictly

Dancing in Men's Shoes

Love Island contestant Zara McDermott revealed that her professional dance partner, Graziano Di Prima, prepared her for the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing by getting her to wear men's shoes during practice. While this unconventional approach was meant to push her out of her comfort zone, it unfortunately backfired as Zara ended up with open sores on the back of her heels from wearing the boots.

A Brave Move

Zara, who rose to fame on Love Island in 2019, admitted that she has been challenged by her Italian dance partner on the BBC show. In an exclusive interview, Zara shared her experience of being pushed out of her comfort zone, saying, "I feel like today was the first day. I feel like I am finally getting it."

Dancing the Cha Cha Cha

Zara will be hitting the dancefloor during the first live show on Saturday night, where she will face the judging panel for the first time. She will perform the cha cha cha, a dance that requires straight legs. Zara explained, "I've learned that your legs have to be bent back on themselves to be that straight, which is really unnatural. It is so weird and feels so unnatural to do it but I am getting there."

Putting Work on Hold

Zara, who now makes documentaries on the BBC, revealed that she has put all her work commitments on hold to fully focus on the Strictly competition. She said, "I finished my last documentary a couple of weeks ago so I can completely focus on Strictly now. I am so excited about it all."

A Challenging Experience

Zara admitted to feeling nervous about her appearance on Strictly, stating, "I think I'm probably the most nervous I've been in my life. I'm not a natural born performer or extrovert, so this is the biggest challenge of my life."

Strictly Come Dancing returned with a bang on Saturday night, attracting 6.7 million viewers. This was an increase of 1.1 million viewers compared to last year's launch.