Brucie McFlies into a panic: Stage invasion by winner's band stuns veteran host

By Ben Todd and Louise Eccles

Last updated at 11:53 PM on 18th December 2011

It was one part of Strictly which had definitely not been choreographed – to the consternation of veteran host Sir Bruce Forsyth.

As boy-band drummer Harry Judd was crowned King of the Ballroom, his three bandmates from McFly invaded the stage to share his celebrations.

They leapt on top of him, leaving his dance partner Aliona Vilani standing alone and Sir Bruce in a panic.

As Harry and Aliona celebrate, members of McFly race on to the stage at Blackpool's Tower Ballroom

Singer-guitarist Danny Jones leaps into his drummer's arms as Aliona looks on in disbelief

Not realising they were friends of Judd, the 83-year-old host mistook them for troublemakers and shouted: ‘Get off the stage! Get off the stage! Get off! Get off!’ before trying to shoo them back to their seats.

To make matters worse, Judd’s father Christopher then appeared on stage at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.

A clearly irritated Sir Bruce said to Judd: ‘Is that your father? Is that your dad?,’ before also telling him to: ‘Get off! Get off!’ and waving him back to his seat.

Judd’s bandmates were unrepentant about their behaviour.

Tom Fletcher said: ‘I think Brucie thought we were streakers. We wanted to streak but I don’t think the BBC would be too happy about that.’

And Dougie Poynter – who this month triumphed in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! – tweeted: ‘Ha ha! Baited Bruce!’ Some fans of the show also took to Twitter and claimed Sir Bruce’s attempt to remove McFly from the stage was ‘the best television moment of 2011’ and ‘TV gold’.

'Get off the stage! Get off! Get off! A flustered Sir Bruce gives the band their marching orders

Dougie Poynter, left, and Jones flee the Forsyth wrath. Poynter later Tweeted: Ha ha! Baited Bruce!'

Judd, who turns 26 on Friday, had been the odds-on favourite to win the show. He said afterwards: ‘First the boys came on and then my dad glided on to the stage too. I was like, “Dad, what are you doing?” ’

While some critical viewers questioned how much longer Sir Bruce could continue with his arduous Strictly schedule, BBC sources said he would ‘carry on for as long as he could’ and ‘would not even contemplate retiring’ while he was in good health. A source close to Sir Bruce said he was more than likely to return for the next series of the show.

Another added: ‘Sir Bruce is Strictly.’

Judd also had kind words for the perennial presenter, who had said the drummer was so good he could be a professional dancer. ‘I’m not sure if that is entirely true but it is kind of Bruce to say,’ he said. ‘It has been an absolute honour to be on the same show as Bruce and, thankfully, I got to say that to him.’

Backstage whispers

• Jason Donovan shunned the after-show party and went straight home. He was believed to be devastated at not winning and was seen picking up his bags from his hotel shortly after the show finished. Sir Bruce Forsyth also failed to turn up.

• Judge Alesha Dixon was unimpressed by the event at a bar in Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach theme park. Wearing a thigh-skimming green dress and towering nude heels, she left at 1.30am. She said: ‘I will be honest with you. It’s all right in there, but it’s not the best.’

• An exhausted dancer complained that organisers wanted to double the number of shows in the Strictly live tour. ‘But we said no,’ she told a friend.

• Judge Bruno Tonioli is dreaming of an exotic holiday. He was overheard telling friends: ‘All I want to do is read books and swim naked.’

Judd, 25, beat Waterloo Road star Chelsee Healey – partnered by Pasha Kovalev – and Jason Donovan with professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff in the showcase final, which drew a peak audience of more than 13million.
Afterwards, Judd said he almost did not do the show and had to be persuaded to take part by his girlfriend, violinist Izzy Johnston.

‘Originally, as soon as my manager said you’ve been asked to do Strictly Come Dancing I was like, “No-no-no”,’ he said.

‘But my girlfriend and family said, “What a great opportunity. You’ll be taught to dance”.’

Despite producing four faultless routines when it mattered, Judd admitted that the dress rehearsal for the final was ‘disastrous’. He said: ‘In the dress run of the American smooth, the lift at the end went wrong and I almost dropped [Aliona].

‘Then, in the Argentine tango, I tripped her up and we had to miss a whole section. Everyone was reassuring us, “Don’t worry – bad dress run, good show”.’

The drummer – a former pupil of Uppingham public school in Rutland – won a loyal legion of fans during the series with his topless performances. However, he admitted he found some of the revealing outfits he was made to wear each week embarrassing.

He said: ‘If I was watching myself, I would be like, “Mate, put it away”. I said I wasn’t going to do any more topless dancing after Wembley. I just thought it was so embarrassing when James and Brendan ripped my top off. Enough is enough.’

At the after-show party in a Blackpool bar, Judd stuck to bottled water. He said: ‘I don’t really drink. I stopped drinking last year and that has been a good thing for me. On Strictly I’ve had no hangovers and I’ve been able to focus.’

At Christmas, he said, he would ‘hide and chill for a bit’ and spend time with ‘my mum, dad and granny’.

Harry did it to help the band

By Dan Wootton

Anyone predicting that he will use his Strictly success to seek stardom in his own right just doesn’t know my old friend Harry Judd.

A few days before Saturday’s glittering final, in his typically modest manner, he told me: ‘I honestly can’t wait to get back behind my drums and let my bandmates take the lead for a while.’

In fact, the reason Harry originally decided to compete in Strictly was to bring fresh attention to McFly, who are attempting to make the difficult transition into an adult act as their fans grow up with them.

Just the start: Harry Judd, pictured with dance partner Aliona Vilani, will be hoping his triumph can help his band McFly secure more success

After Harry’s triumph and bandmate Dougie Poynter’s surprise win on ITV1’s I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! earlier in the month, McFly’s management are urging the talented quartet to release new material in a quest for their first No 1 song in five years.

Harry, who now shuns boozy nights out on the town in preference for nights on the sofa in his pyjamas at home with 27-year-old girlfriend Izzy Johnston, has made it clear to me that he now intends to make a life-long commitment to the woman he describes as his ‘soulmate’.

She will have to put up with seeing her man in the arms of another woman for just a little bit longer, however, because the winning dance partners are the star attraction on the upcoming Strictly tour.

Read Dan Wootton’s Inside The Box column every week in It’s Friday

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Strictly secrets: We reveal the Suzanne Neville dress Tess will wear to the final

By Lauren Paxman

Last updated at 6:06 PM on 16th December 2011
Tess Daly knows that it would be foolish to compete with the fussy gowns that the contestants wear on Strictly Come Dancing.

So instead she has followed her own style of tight-fitting, slinky but simple dresses in black and a range of bright colours.

However, tomorrow night the presenter is set to break the mould.

Mullet dress: Tess' frock will be very on trend - it is short at the front, but a long train reaches the floor at the back

Drawings have been revealed of the Suzanne Neville dress that Tess will wear to the Strictly final - and it looks a lot more like what the dancers would wear than one of the presenter's usual choices.

The extravagant gown is mullet-shaped - meaning that the back is a lot longer than the front - a very on trend design. The mini skirt is covered by a long, intricate lace and tulle train at the back

 

Although the sketch is black and white, the dress will be black and nude.

The French lace used will be covered in hundreds of shiny Swarovski crystals.

Take two: Tess Daly wore this black Suzanne Neville dress to another episode of Strictly earlier this series

Firm favourite: Two other floor-length black dresses Tess has worn this season

It took more than two weeks to make and more than 10 meters of lace were used.

Suzanne Neville and her team worked closely with Tess to come up with the show-stopping design.

The dress they drew up has a plunging neckline and a hand beaded swarovski belt which connects the skirt to the train.

Most talked about: This Stella McCartney creation was a more daring choice for Daly's usually conservative Strictly wardrobe

The belt alone took 3 days to create as every crystal has been individually attached, and 4 hand finishers tirelessly embroidered the delicate lace to the bodice, train and hem of the gown.

Suzanne Neville said: 'Its such a privilege to be dressing Tess Daly for the Strictly Come Dancing Grand Final this weekend, she looks sensational in the gown we have created'

Tess has already worn two of the designer's dresses this season, a red, lacy, knee-length number with capped sleeves, and a similar dress in black.

Short but sweet: Tess in a pretty blue and pink dress (left) and in a seasonal red sparkly number

It is a coup for Neville to have been chosen to make the dress Tess will wear to the final of the most successful series of Strictly.

Particularly when the presenter has worn so many other top designers this season.

Her most talked about outfit was Stella McCartney's spot dress. Similar frocks had been worn by Kate Winslet and Liv Tyler.

Another Suzanne Neville fan: Alesha Dixon (left) in a dress by the same designer on Strictly

Tess has also worn Emilio Pucci, Philip Armstrong and Aqua.

Ratings for the dance show have overtaken ratings for the X Factor for the first time since they both started competing for audiences.

McFly's Harry Judd, Waterloo Road's Chelsee Healey and Nineties heartthrob Jason Donovan will all be competing to lift the glitter-ball trophy on Saturday night.


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Tess Daly is stunning in an off the shoulder bandage dress as she promotes her new novel

That look will sell books! Tess Daly is stunning in an off the shoulder bandage dress as she promotes her new novel

By Andrea Magrath

Last updated at 12:56 AM on 13th October 2011


She's got a new novel to sell and Tess Daly certainly knows how to get people's attention.

The TV presenter looked far younger than her 42 years in a form-fitting bandage dress that showed off her toned figure.

The off the shoulder frock displayed just the right amount of golden skin as she left the ITV studios yesterday after an appearance on This Morning.

Looking good: Tess Daly arrived at the ITV studios to appear on This Morning, looking gorgeous in a grey bandage dress

Miss Daly is promoting her new novel, The Camera Never Lies, which, although not autobiographical, borrows from her two decades in showbusiness.

She told Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby: 'Obviously when you're writing a novel you have to write about what you know - and I've worked in the world of fashion for ten years and now television for ten years so that's what I know and what I've experienced and along the way I've met so many extraordinary characters.

'It's not in anyway autobiographical, but a lot of the experiences are based on experiences I've myself had.'

Novelist: The 42-year-old is promoting her new book The Camera Never Lies

The Camera Never Lies is the story of a former model-turned-breakfast TV presenter who quickly finds that the drama behind the scenes far eclipses anything that goes on in front of the camera.

Tess explained how despite her hectic working and family schedule, she found time in between to pen the story.

'It works really well being a mum because you can write at home when the kids are in bed - a pot of tea and a pile of chocolate and I'm off! she said.

Dare to bare: The mother-of-two showed off plenty of skin in the off the shoulder, form-fitting frock

During her interview Daly discussed her Strictly Come Dancing co-host Bruce Forsyth's knighthood. 'Ah isn't it wonderful. I shall have to curtsey before him on Saturday night! He'll love that.

'I'm so happy for him and he's thrilled to bits. Genuinely thrilled.'

Speaking about the new series, she discussed her favourite contestants so far and said how sad she was to see Edwina Currie get the boot.

Spilling secrets: Tess discussed her favourite Strictly contestants and said she'd heard that Nancy Dell'Olio had a bottle of champagne and two glasses in her suitcase for after each show

'To be honest with you, it seems really cruel to lose someone this soon,' she said. 'Sadly Edwina was the first to go, nobody wants to be first, but she was just getting warmed up really... she was really game!'

Tess added: 'Holly is a babe. I think she's going to surprise us... I think she could be this season's Alesha.'

And on the Nancy Dell'Olio rumours that have been making headlines this week, she offered: 'I've heard she has a little bottle of champagne in her suitcase with two silver goblets apparently! Not before the live show of course - a little tipple for afterwards! She's so fabulously glamorous.'

'I'll have to curtsey to him now': She said she was 'genuinely thrilled' for her co-host Bruce Forsyth for his knighthood

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Knight to see you, to see you, knight: Bruce Forsyth becomes a Sir at last as he is honoured by the Queen at the age of 83

By Georgina Littlejohn and Rebecca English

Last updated at 10:37 PM on 12th October 2011


It may have taken 70 years in the business, but didn’t he do well?

Bruce Forsyth received his long-awaited knighthood yesterday – and managed to surprise the Queen in the process.

After the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the 83-year-old said: ‘The Queen told me: “Thank you for entertaining the country for so long.”

Didn't he do well? Bruce Forsyth receives his knighthood from the Queen Buckingham Palace

‘I told her that I will have been in the business for 70 years next year. She looked at me in astonishment and said: “Seventy?! Goodness, how old were you when you started?”

‘I was 14, Ma’am, I told her. Been in the business since the war. I think she was rather taken aback, to be honest.’


But there were no other shocks as the 85-year-old monarch – a fan of Strictly Come Dancing, which the entertainer hosts – awarded him the title of Sir Bruce Forsyth-Johnson, Knight Bachelor for services to entertainment and charity.

And Sir Bruce looked only ever so slightly creaky as he got down on one knee while the Queen touched him on each shoulder with her father’s sword and placed the insignia around his neck. Afterwards, he blew a kiss in the direction of his wife of 29 years, Puerto Rican beauty queen Wilnelia.

Thank you: Sir Bruce looked delighted as the Queen placed the honour round his neck

A long time coming: Sir Bruce shakes her Majesty's hand after being given the knighthood which was awarded after years of campaigning by his fans

Lady Forsyth, who turned 54 yesterday, said: ‘I could not be more proud of him.’

Sir Bruce, who already has both a CBE and an OBE, said his knighthood felt ‘completely marvellous’ after years of campaigning by newspapers and the public. Some 73 MPs even signed an Early Day Motion in parliament calling for him to be honoured.

Looking ecstatic after the ceremony, he said: 'It's absolutely wonderful to get the knighthood.

'It's been a thing that's been going on for a long time but it's not often one can say the press has been right behind you in my business - but they have been.

'Entertaining - it's been the only thing I've ever wanted to do and I've done it for many, many years. Who feels like quitting? I want to go on.'

I did it! Sir Bruce shows off his honour as he posed for the cameras after he was knighted

He was dubbed a knight by the Queen, who lightly touched him on the shoulder with a sword that belonged to her father, George VI.

The king used the ceremonial weapon when he was colonel of the Scots Guards while Duke of York, before being crowned.

As he emerged from the ballroom, Sir Bruce called out 'Good luck' to honours recipients on their way to receive their awards.

One joked: 'We were impressed to see you get off your knees', to which the entertainer replied: 'That was an effort, I can tell you.'

Proud: Sir Bruce posed for a snap with his wife of almost 30 years, former Miss World Wilnelia, after the ceremony

Joined by his Puerto Rico-born former Miss World wife, their 24-year-old son Jonathan Joseph, known as JJ, and his daughters from previous marriages Charlotte, 34, and Laura, 48, were also there to witness the proud day.

The award also marks his charity work, something the star does privately.

Admitting he feared he might never receive the honour, when the knighthood was announced in the summer, a delighted Sir Bruce said he could not wait to call his wife 'my lady'

The knight and his brood: Sir Bruce and Wilnelia pose for a family portrait with their son Jonathan and his daughters Charlotte and Louisa from his second marriage to Anthea Redfern

And he told the BBC that the honour 'means everything' to him, and added: 'When I got the CBE there'd been speculation every year and I think there's been too much talk about it, so I'm thrilled at last it has happened.'

'I feel very proud that my career hasn't been in vain. I just love getting out there and performing and this is a reward that I never expected and hope I'm worthy of.'

As a 14-year-old, he began working on the variety circuit where he danced, sang, cracked jokes and waited for his big break.

He got it in 1958 when he became host of Sunday Night At The London Palladium and he never looked back, hosting The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and Bruce's Price Is Right.

He also became known for his catchphrase, 'nice to see you, to see you, nice'.

In 2004, when in effective semi-retirement, he was brought back to host a new version of an old programme, Strictly Come Dancing, and scored another massive hit.

Bruce as a young entertainer pictured playing the accordion. As a 14-year-old he began working on the variety circuit where he danced, sang, cracked jokes and waited for his big break

Times gone by: A 1962 London Palladium poster advertising Bruce Forsyth as the compare. Also on the bill was Morecambe and Wise and Eve Boswell

Saturday night favourite: Sir Bruce drew in millions of viewers every weekend during the 80s as the host of the Price Is Right

No plans to retire: Even at the age of 83, Sir Bruce doesn't intend to stop working and is currently the host of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing alongside Tess Daly

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