A former Herefordshire student and now Strictly Come Dancing star has revealed he originally didn't want to enter the competition.

Comedian Chris McCausland, who attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, has said he did not want to do the show when he was repeatedly asked, and has spoken about how he was persuaded to change his mind.

The first blind contestant on the BBC One show will compete against other famous faces including X Factor winner Shayne Ward, Love Island star Tasha Ghouri, singer Toyah Willcox, JLS member JB Gill, Olympic hockey player Sam Quek, Morning Live’s Dr Punam Krishan, and ex- footballer Paul Merson.

Mr McCausland, who is partnered with Dianne Buswell, says he “didn’t want to do Strictly at first, I didn’t, I was asked a few times to do, like last year’s and the Christmas special and I didn’t”.

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

However, the 47-year-old says he is “very easily persuaded into things by people” flattering him.

McCausland says there is not “a lot of pointers” from listening to it, so he does not have “any kind of attachment to the idea of it”, but thinks it will be good to be out of his “comfort zone”.

He added he “can’t judge” who will be able to dance, but he has concerns about opera singer Wynne Evans as he is “so funny that I’ve really got to keep my eye on him in terms of stealing the limelight with the comedy”.

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Originally from Liverpool, Mr McCausland lost his eyesight in his early 20s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition.

The star studied at RNCB in the mid 90's, taking A-levels in Mathematics, Computer Science and an AS level in Further Mathematics. He made a return to the city in 2022 to celebrate the college's 150th anniversary, attending a meet and greet with current students.

Speaking of their former pupil's appearance, a spokesperson for the college said: “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!”