Graeme Swann on how Strictly Come Dancing has left him ‘thin as a rake’, why the Tower Ball Room at Blackpool reminds him of Trent Bridge and why he’s not done with dancing just yet…

It’s Friday night in the Swann household and Graeme’s young son, Wilf, has asked for an early night. The reason – he wants to stay up for Strictly Come Dancing tomorrow.

Decision made. Next time the stalwart BBC show comes knocking, Graeme’s saying yes.

Perhaps prompted by the illustrious history of cricketers on the show – both Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash are former winners – the call does come again. Swann would feature in the class of 2018.

“You go to a reveal day at the start and you don’t know who the other celebs are,” he recalls.

“All the dancers come in and you have a couple of days learning a group dance. The producers put you with different pros and see what the chemistry is like - and then they decide who you’re partnered with.

“You don’t see anyone again until the launch a couple of weeks later and that’s when you find out who your partner is, which is quite cool actually.” 

The former off-spinner’s partner was to be Oti Mabuse, an eight-time Latin American Champion in her native South Africa.

Swann worked with plenty of coaches during his illustrious cricket career – and it’s fair to say Mabuse was to become more of a Duncan Fletcher than a Mick Newell, particularly on a Wednesday.

“I think they wanted to show her fun side, as she can come across as very serious and tough – and they wanted someone a bit strict to get the best out of me,” he said.

“It was the perfect match. It was very intense, but it had to be because I didn’t have any dance experience whatsoever. I had to work my socks off to try and be at the same level as the others.

“It’s a good job in cricket you only have 40 minutes for lunch, as Oti doesn’t really do lunch breaks!

“I was always terrible on a Wednesday. Oti would get really strict and angry with me. But sometimes I just didn’t get it because I’m not a dancer.

“You go through highs and lows – and it depends on the dance as well. If you’ve got a dance you’re good at and you enjoy, it’s a very enjoyable week.

“If it’s something you can’t pick up and you’re constantly thinking about technique, you forget the steps and you end up hating each other.”

The hatred, of course, never lasted. Swann and Mabuse will remain friends, albeit he has a new dance partner for the forthcoming Strictly Tour. Karen Clifton will be stepping into the breach with Mabuse unavailable due to other dance commitments.

Swann and Mabuse shared some special moments during the series too; wowing the judges with a classy waltz in week nine and posting their highest score of the season in the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

“There isn’t really a comparison between the moments on strictly and in cricket,” says Swann.

“It is an emotional rollercoaster, but more because of what I was doing it for. I was doing it for my kids and I dedicated one dance to my grandfather.

“It has a lot more personal meaning – you do get swept up in it – your family are there, and when you see your mum crying because you danced well, your bottom lip does start to wobble a bit.

“My favourite dance was in Blackpool. Blackpool was amazing. Everyone kept going on about it, saying what an amazing place it was - and because I’m not a dancer, I didn’t really get it, until I got there. 

“It’s a bit like playing at Trent Bridge, a famous old stadium with a magical feel. You raise your game at places like that

“I had a musical theatre number there. It was so much fun to do. It was my favourite dance of the series.

“I was in the dance-off and I really didn’t mind because I loved doing that dance so much - and I knew I could win.”

As a former sportsman, Swann is no stranger to training hard. He would quickly discover, however, that cricket fitness and the physical requirements for dancing are poles apart.

“It uses different muscles, that’s for sure! I’m a very different shape now. I’m thin as a rake,” he said.

“Cricket wise, by the end – because I had to do a lot of weights for my elbow - I was quite muscular across the shoulders, but that’s all dropped off.

“You just become very thin and very lean because you’re sweating all the time.

“Oti hates being cold so she has the temperature at 31 degrees. If I got something perfect, I could turn the heating down a degree. 

“I don’t actually know fitness wise how it compares to cricket. I haven’t been for a run since I finished. I must go for a jog and see how I get on.

“I did ache. For the first couple of weeks, it’d be a hot bath every night. But I got used to it.

“It’s a bit like pre-season in cricket. The first few weeks you hurt like hell, but once you’re in the swing of things it’s fine.

Psychologically, a ballroom audience is someway short of a 17,000 sell-out at Trent Bridge – and preforming before the cameras should of course be second nature. 

Not so much, says Swann, when the nature of the performance is so alien.

“Playing for England, I was used to being on the telly a lot, so the cameras didn’t bother me,” he said. 

“But the difference was with cricket, I was bloody good at that – and I knew it. I knew what I was doing, so even on a bad day I knew I wouldn’t make a fool of myself. With dancing, there’s that fear that if this goes wrong, how wrong could it go?

“But I was always in a decent frame of mind before the dances. I only had one week where the routine went completely out of my head minutes before we went on.

“It was jive week when we were all dressed in pink. That wasn’t necessarily me being nervous, but I remember the look on Oti’s face – the look of absolute horror – thinking this could all go wrong at any second.

“But, as it was, I nailed it. The smile on my face at the end wasn’t one of happiness, it was relief.

“The last dance off, I knew I’d lose against Ashley. It was going to be my last dance so I just enjoyed it.

“It’s the happiest work environment, everyone has big smiles on their faces - from wardrobe, to make-up, to catering. Everyone’s just happy to be there.

“It’s dancing for a living so you should be happy! I can’t complain at all. I had a wonderful time.”