RNCB on BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland's

Chris McCausland, an alum of the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, is participating in Strictly Come Dancing this year, alongside pro-dancer partner, Diane Buswell.

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell

Chris, who has the hereditary eye condition Retinitis Pigmentosa, studied at the college in the mid 90's, taking A-levels in Mathematics, Computer Science and an AS level in Further Mathematics.

The comedian then went on to study software engineering at Kingston University, after his maths teacher, Tim Ashmore encouraged him to apply. Chris has said that Mr Ashmore "was the most influential person" within his education.

The comedian returned to his former college in 2022, to celebrate a special anniversary. (Image: Royal National College for the Blind)

A spokesperson for the college said: "As the first blind contestant on Strictly, it will be interesting to follow Chris' partnership with pro dancer Diane Buswell. Communicating dance moves to someone without sight will be a challenge, but we’re excited to see how they tackle it.

“Chris' spatial awareness, balance, and coordination will be key, and Diane will have to provide vivid descriptions and physical guidance.

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"It will be interesting to see if she has any other creative methods to help with learning.

“They may not always be together depending on the dance, so it will be fascinating to see how Chris navigates the dance floor independently and finds his way back to Diane. The lifts will be particularly interesting!

“He did so well on Saturday and the College community is so proud to have him in the show breaking barriers for the blind and visually impaired community. Many RNC staff are Strictly fans, and they're thrilled to have one of their own in the show. Go for it Chris!”

The comedian has previously said he caused "havoc in the round the small city of Hereford" and has since returned, attending a benefit gig for the College, to celebrate it’s 150th Anniversary at the Courtyard in April 2022. The event raised £6500 for the College, with Chris staying to do a post-show meet and greet with students.