There was jubilation among BBC bosses when Chris McCausland agreed to join Strictly.
After years of trying to get a blind contestant, they finally got the player they wanted. And to top it all off, he’s hilarious and adorable.
They gave him a few weeks of patience and some much-needed entertainment on the troubled show, which was still in the midst of a heated argument between Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice when Chris signed on. I thought it would bring.
It is no exaggeration to say that this scandal has cast a dark cloud over the highly popular series.
Liverpool-born Chris, 47, has been blind since losing his sight in his early 20s due to a genetic disease called retinitis pigmentosa. This was a big decision.
Will he be embarrassed? Will he be laughed at? But most importantly to him, will he let down the blind community of which he is so proud?
After all, he did none of those things. Quite the opposite, in fact, and sensationally, he is now the overwhelming favorite to lift the Glitterball trophy in tonight’s finale.
And we have one woman to thank for this. That’s Chris’ beloved wife Patricia. She was the one who convinced Chris to join the program, but his daughter Sophie, 11, was against it, fearing her dad would hurt her.
Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell perform on Strictly Come Dancing in November
Chris’ beloved wife Patricia (pictured) was the one who convinced him to join the program
Chris (pictured with dance partner Diane) is the overwhelming favorite to lift the Glitter Ball trophy in tonight’s finale
Patricia also plans to secretly cheer on her husband from the audience seats.
A friend of the couple told me: “Patricia has always believed in Chris.” Although he was very worried about not doing his best in the contest, she never doubted his abilities.
“She’s very private and doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, but don’t let her silence fool you. She’s been with him every step of the way.” She’s his rock. ”
Their love story began when he was a budding young stand-up artist at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
He met Patricia Mazure, who was born in Brazil and came to England as a child. She was a TV producer for Sky, producing programs about the festival.
Once the cameras stopped rolling, there was an instant connection between them and they soon returned to London to spend more time together.
Romance blossomed and their bond grew stronger over their shared love of music. In fact, when Chris took Patricia to see rock band Pearl Jam in London’s Hyde Park in 2010, he swore he would propose to her once the band played his favorite song, “Black.” .
They did, and she said yes in the middle of the gig. Three years later, Patricia gave birth to Sophie and Chris became a father.
Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell during last Saturday’s semi-final
Becoming a father wasn’t something Chris was sure he could do. He said: “The idea of being a parent, and all the things I wouldn’t be able to do properly, all the things my dad did for me when I was a kid, and I thought, ‘How am I going to manage this? I’m not going to be a proper father if I do that, I’m only going to be a half father. ” That caused a lot of pain in my head. ”
But Patricia gave him confidence and they now live in a new private development in Surbiton, south-west London, not far from Kingston University, where Chris studied computer engineering.
Friends said Chris initially found parenting to be “really difficult” but quickly found ways to cope as a blind father. “My daughter doesn’t know anything except that I’m blind,” he says.
“She learned that she could point to things for my wife, and she would put her hands on things with me. That’s how she learned to communicate with us.”
The two got married in 2012 and will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary next year.
Chris says of his wife: “We were polar opposites. I mean, she looks very British, but she’s Brazilian. I don’t mean this in a negative way, but her life is chaotic, just like Brazilians are chaotic. It’s also a cultural trait that they are proud of.
“So many times she’s talking to her mom in Portuguese and I say to her, ‘Okay, what happened? I think we just had a bad argument.’ And they… It turned out that they were discussing what they were going to do that day.
“She’s full of energy and takes me out of my comfort zone. I think I just make her laugh. I think that’s what she was attracted to in her life. It was just this gentle presence that she didn’t have.
Chris McCausland recently revealed he is “exhausted” ahead of today’s final.
Tonight, Chris will face off against Love Island star Tasha Goury, Miranda actress Sarah Hadland and singer JB Gill in the final.
Much of his success is due to his professional Strictly partner Diane Buswell, who helped Chris tailor his training by literally walking him through the moves and imagining what the dance should be through explanations.
However, this does not mean that there were no accidents. Earlier in the series, Chris revealed that during one training session, an Australian dancer didn’t notice her foot coming and accidentally kicked her in the face.
Whatever she did, it worked. They’ve never been in the bottom two (they face a weekly dance showdown), and tonight’s vote will be by public vote – judges’ scores are not taken into account – they win I got a hint for this.
Chris and Diane will reprise Week 8’s Couple’s Choice, set to John Lennon’s Instant Karma (We All Shine On). And their final dance is a waltz, a touching song choice given Chris’ Scouse roots in Gerry and the Pacemakers’ Liverpool football anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is.
The most magical moment was probably the American Smooth Dance in Blackpool. Looking dapper in a white tie, Chris led Diane with poise and grace, earning him the highest score of 37 out of 40 from the judges.
This was followed by a performance in Wayne’s World, where he and Diane dressed up as characters from the 1992 American comedy film. The audience went into hysterics.
Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell during dress rehearsal for Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday 7th December
Chris revealed that just as he overcame his own disability, he found a way around not being able to see Sophie.
As a computer engineer, he spoke movingly of how he was able to devise a way to “bring her image to life” using AI.
He takes photos of Sophie and uses specialized techniques to capture her description, her actions and facial expressions.
No doubt the technology will be used to capture her reaction when Chris finally steps onto the Strictly dance floor.
he told me this week. “Sophie says she’s really proud of what we’ve done and every Saturday she says, ‘It’s okay to go out with dad, because I think we’ve won.’ . ‘