Last year he carried off the Glitterball. Now he plans to rock for ages. Strictly’s Kevin Clifton talks to Jane McGowan...
Kevin Clifton is undeniably a trooper. My interview with the current Strictly Come Dancing champion and Wimbledon resident was scheduled for 12.45pm, and as I headed to Google to finalise my questions, I saw that he was due to appear on that day’s edition of hit TV show This Morning. Now, I don’t actually need an excuse to settle down for three hours with Holly and Phil, so it was a double delight to find that today I could pass off my viewing time as research.
However, as Kevin settled himself on the sofa, the perky pair made a shock revelation. Not only was the dancer there to talk about his latest venture, the cult soft metal musical Rock of Ages (poised to hit New Wimbledon Theatre), but he had also been lined up to fulfil a pact with his 2017 Strictly partner, comedian Susan Calman, by acquiring a tattoo – live on air.
Susan had declared that, if she got to Blackpool, she would have ‘I love Grimsby’ [Kev’s home town] tattooed somewhere on her body – provided that Kevin, should he ever become champion, would similarly honour her own place of birth with the inked words ‘I love Glasgow’. She did make it to Blackpool; she had the tattoo. Over to you, Kevin.
The announcement that a bike was waiting to take him to a tattooist did genuinely appear to surprise him – as it did me. My 12.45pm interview was timed for just after the show. Celebrities can be prickly at the best of times, and it was not abundantly clear that an hour or so of pain would constitute the ideal build-up.
But in fact, I had no need to fear. Kevin was on fine form, tenderness of foot notwithstanding.
“Yep, it was a surprise and the foot is a little bit sore,” he laughs. “And once I’d said that I would have it there, I realised what a state my feet were actually in. I have disgusting dancer’s feet, so I wished I’d had time to do something about them.”
On the plus side, having the slogan ‘I love Glasgow’ emblazoned along the side of his foot will serve as a reminder, says Kevin, of where he made his debut as Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages. He may be no stranger to the stage, thanks to dance shows such as Burn the Floor and Dirty Dancing, but this marks the 36-year-old’s first foray into singing and acting.
“It’s terrific,” he says with obvious enthusiasm. “It is my absolute favourite show. I am a big musical theatre fan and a big rock fan, so when this opportunity came about, I grabbed it with both hands. I have been looking forward to it so much.”
Born near Grimsby in 1982, Kevin Clifton is the son of Judy and Keith and brother to Joanne, the 2016 Strictly professional champion and musical theatre star. The senior Cliftons, as well as being world champions, were also dance teachers, and Joanne has talked in the past about how she and Kevin spent much of their early years in their parents’ school before succumbing and “just joining in”. After initially dancing as a couple, the youngsters went their separate ways. Both hit the heights: Kevin was a four-time British Latin Champion and Youth World Number 1.
Richard Davenport/The Other Richard The Other Richard
Rock of AgesPhoto Credit : The Other Richard
Performing, therefore, is very much in his DNA. This new role, however, requires him not just to dance, but also to belt out such rock classics as Wanted Dead or Alive and Pour Some Sugar on Me. A little daunting?
“I’ve been thinking about singing and acting for a long time,” he says. “The songs are big and I have to hit some high notes, and the thing I’ve had to work on a lot is hitting those notes while diving about the stage. I am really worried about damaging my voice, so I’m being a bit over the top – putting myself on voice rest and wearing a scarf. My mates are like, ‘What?’”
The part, as Kevin readily admits, is a “big challenge”, but after years of helping others to achieve their dream, he is enjoying learning from the people around him.
“Sometimes I get carried away just watching how the rest of the cast work, and then I’m like: ‘Ahh, they’re waiting for me – just get on with it.’”
His enthusiasm and respect for other performers have undoubtedly helped propel him to Strictly legend status. The BBC Saturday night flagship show was already well into its stride when ‘Kevin from Grimsby’ arrived in 2013, but he made an instant impression, taking partner Susanna Reid of Good Morning Britain all the way to the finals – a stage he would reach thrice more before finally lifting the coveted Glitterball in 2018 with presenter and documentary maker Stacey Dooley.
As the winners were announced (following the obligatory pause), all eyes were on Kevin; who, on hearing the news, collapsed dramatically to the floor leaving partner Stacey looking dazed.
“We were very, very surprised,” he admits. “We had been hammered by Craig [Revel Horwood] all night and were bottom of the leaderboard. I remember before the results looking over to my mum and dad, who were sat close by, and just shrugging.
“The talk around the studio was that Joe [Sugg, the YouTuber] had won, as he had such a big following. So we really thought we didn’t have a chance. It was the first time in a final that I seriously thought it wasn’t our year.”
Kevin is full of praise for his celebrity partner. After week three, he says, the pair were putting in around 14 hours of training a day – more than double some of the other competitors.
“Stacey was terrified of being in the bottom two. She said she’d be embarrassed in front of her friends if she went out too early. In the first couple of weeks we were getting fours and fives, so she wanted to up the training.
“As a partner, you just want someone who is willing to work hard. To me, that’s more important than dance ability. You want someone who will embrace the whole show and just go for it. And Stacey did. I was so proud of her and she did become a good dancer.”
For Kevin, the win and the new musical mark a welcome upturn, following a turbulent year in which he split from dance partner and wife number three, Karen Hauer. Married since 2015, the couple called it a day last March. Since then, both Kevin and Karen have found solace in their careers.
“I love to work,” admits Kevin. “I don’t think I have had a break for six years. But I love it. All of it. I love being on stage; I just love performing.”
And 2019 is unlikely to leave him much time to ponder his love life. After six weeks on the road with Rock of Ages, he will take a break to headline a Burn the Floor tour with fellow Strictly star Graziano Di Prima, before returning to the musical for a further seven weeks.
But with this new string to his bow and the much coveted Glitterball in the bag, is Kevin about to hang up his Strictly shoes?
“Not at all,” he says emphatically. “We all have to wait to be asked, of course; there are no guarantees. Each year when we go to the first pro dancer meet-up, I think: ‘Oh God, they are getting younger and younger. They have so much energy – I feel older and older.’ So I feel that I really have to go for it just to keep my place. But as long as they want me back – I’m there.”
One way or another, we will be seeing plenty more of Kevin from Grimsby.
Rock of Ages is at New Wimbledon Theatre from Feb 26 – March 2. For details visit: atgtickets.com
