December 16th 2024.
A former star from Strictly Come Dancing has come to the defense of Chris McCausland, who recently made history by winning the show with his partner, Dianne Buswell. Dan Walker, who previously appeared on Strictly, expressed his frustration with trolls who claimed that the win was "woke". On Saturday, in an emotional moment, Chris, a 47-year-old comedian, lifted the glitterball trophy with Dianne, becoming the first blind contestant to win Strictly. They beat out other talented contestants, including Sarah Hadland and her partner Vito Coppola, Tasha Ghouri and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec, and JB Gill and his partner Lauren Oakley.
After his historic win, Chris said, "This is for [Dianne] and for everyone who was told they couldn't do something. With opportunity, support and determination, anything can happen." He has been praised for inspiring not only the blind and partially sighted community, but everyone who watched his journey on the show. However, some trolls have expressed dissatisfaction with the result, arguing that other contestants were better dancers and deserved to win.
But it wasn't just Chris' dancing abilities that captured the hearts of the nation. His humor, resilience, and determination also won over viewers. Newsreader Dan took to Instagram to blast the backlash, writing, "I've seen a few people saying this is a 'woke win'. Give your head a wobble. If you can't see the joy in this, then I'm afraid you are the blind one." He appeared on Strictly in 2021 alongside Nadiya Bychkova.
Many of Dan's followers also came to Chris' defense in the comments, celebrating his win and journey on the show. One follower wrote, "Strictly used to be about non-dancers learning to dance. Chris' journey, to me, is what the show was meant to be about. Not because he is blind, but because he went from a non-dancer to someone who danced well."
Another follower added, "They are both amazing! Most of us have no idea how to dance, let alone without being able to see. The emotion was incredible." After the win, Dan wrote on Instagram, "Chris and Dianne are one of the best ever Strictly couples and deserving winners. She has guided him brilliantly, and he's been amazing from week one."
Chris' win has also been praised by the blind and partially sighted community, with one charity worker saying that he inspired them and it didn't feel like a "tokenistic" choice by the show. Clive Wood, who is supported by Guide Dogs UK, shared that before real-time audio descriptions were available on Strictly, he had to rely on his family's biased descriptions of the outfits and contestants. He felt that this year, there has been a real difference in diversity on the show.
Debbie Miller, director of customer advice and support at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, also praised Chris for being "absolutely incredible" and inspiring for everyone. She shared, "I'm not sure they thought that they could achieve it, and they were quite honest about that." Reflecting on his sight loss, Chris previously shared, "Yes, it was painful. I haven't been able to see for 20 years. When it started happening, it was scary and embarrassing."
He added, "I got myself into bad situations because I didn't want to ask for help. I will never be on a level playing field with everyone else." But despite the challenges he has faced, Chris proved that anything is possible with determination and support. Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. If you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, share them with us! We'd love to hear from you.
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