Robin Windsor returns toĀ Strictly Come DancingĀ for his third year and has established himself as one of the most popular male dancers on the show. In his first year he arrived on the show with fellow professionals Artem Chigvintsev and Jared Murillo, and was partnered with actress Patsy Kensit.
Last year Robin was paired withĀ EastEndersĀ legend Anita Dobson and the two wowed the judges with their routines and energy. For the latest series ofĀ StrictlyRobin will be dancing with formerĀ EmmerdaleĀ actress Lisa Riley who is best-known for her role as Mandy Dingle in the soap.
We gave Robin a call to find out how he feels about his latest dancing partner, discover how the training is going and see if heās confident that Team RiRo will walk away with the glitterball trophy.
How do you feel about Lisa being your partner this year?
As you can tell from the launch show I was ecstatic that I got Lisa as a partner. As you saw I ran down the stairs, picked her up and swung her round. I was really happy because in the group dance weād all been doing a couple of days before, Lisa and me just struck up an instant friendship. It was the same feeling I had the previous year with Anita. I already felt there was a connection straight away before weād been paired up so I was really happy.
Were you surprised to get Lisa or did you have an inkling that may happen?
I thought I might have an inkling that might happen just because we had been getting on so well together.Ā Surely the producers can see that in the background and think āoh theyād be great togetherā.
Where have you been based for training? It seems from Twitter that youāve been all over the placeā¦
Lisaās been filming her last scenes forĀ Waterloo RoadĀ up in Glasgow so Iāve had to be up there for a few days and now weāre in her hometown of Manchester which I love.
Has it been all about training at the moment or have you had time to have some fun too?
Weāve been rehearsing like crazy this week and Lisaās really sore today. We had a nice glass of wine last night because we thought we really deserved it as weād finished the routine and we were really happy.
Are you allowed to tell us what your first dance is going to be or is it all very top secret?
Weāll be doing a cha cha for week one but I canāt tell you what weāll be doing for week two.
Are you feeling confident?
Yeah! Confident as far as Lisaās picked up the routine. Now itās trying to get all the technique into the routine which is the hard part. The routine is the easy part to put together but now itās about learning how to do it. Quietly confident but you never know whatās going to happen on the night.
Thereās some preconceptions that Lisa may not be a very good dancer but it seems from the launch show that she can really move. Whatās been your experience with her so far?
You know what? This girlās got rhythm and that is something that is hard to teach. If she can bring all that rhythm to the dancefloor Iām going to be more than happy.
Are you being quite adventurous in the way you choreograph the routines?
Coming in to choreograph the routine I thought I was going to have to make it really simple. As it turns out Iām able to make it a little more complicated than I was anticipating. Lisaās picking it all up really well.
Obviously the dynamic is the most important thing with your partner and you had great chemistry with Patsy and Anita. Whatās your dynamic like with Lisa?
Me and Lisa are basically having so much fun and such a ball. Itās the way I like it. When I teach somebody and I train somebody I like them to enjoy themselves as much as possible because theyāre learning and having a good time at the same time. In a way youāre having so much fun that when it comes to the end of the week you realise āwow Iāve actually learned a routineā.
Are you excited to be finally heading towards the live shows? They feel a bit further off this year with the show kicking off in October.
I canāt wait for the first live show. Ā Iām anxious to find out how everybody else has been doing because obviously weāre all so far apart from one another and everyone has been working so hard in the training room. I canāt wait to see what everyone else has done and show off Lisa to the rest of the country so they can see how amazing sheās going to be.
Have you scoped out your competition yet? Who do you think is your biggest challenge?
There are the obvious favourites at the moment with Kimberley and Denise. They are already coming in with a high standard of dance so weāve all got high expectations of them. Itās those that donāt have any dance background that are going to surprise people because thereās some natural talent in the bunch.
This is your third year on the show. Are you hoping for third time lucky?
Third time lucky! Thereās space on my mantelpiece already for that glitterball so Iām hoping that this year I can put it there. Letās face it itās been gathering dust the last two years and it could do with a nice trophy to go on there.
How competitive is it really between the professionals? Weāve seen on Twitter that you and James Jordan have been enjoying a bit of banter.
Thereās always banter between the boys. Weāre all competitive because we come from a competitive dance background. Itās drilled into us. Of course we all want to lift the glitterball but for me my competition is to take it week-by-week and my goal is to get a bit further each week.
Howās the new professional Karen Hauer fitting in this year?
I knew Karen fromĀ Burn The FloorĀ and as you can tell from the launch show sheās an incredible dancer and extremely hot. She really knows how to work it and she knows her stuff. Sheās going to do extremely well with Nicky and knock him into shape.
Are you disappointed that show wonāt be visiting Blackpool this year?
Itās a shame weāre not going to Blackpool this year because itās the hub of ballroom dancing. Iām actually very happy that weāre going to Wembley instead because rather than dancing infront of 800 people there we can dance to 6000 people there and itās an amazing feel. I canāt wait to get back there.
Does it feel strange translating āStrictlyā from a small studio to such a large arena?
When you first walk into Wembley it feels huge. When you walk on to do your dance it feels like it could be the studio or a rehearsal room because all that matters is you and your partner. Itās just you two in the middle of the floor and you have to block out that itās a big space.
We guess itās similar to the feeling you have when you walk out onto the stage for the āStrictlyā arena tour?
Yeah the moment you walk out onto the floor it feels like such a vast space and you think āoh my goodness thereās all these peopleā. What youāve got to remember is thereās normally 12 million people at home watching and itās just another watching you.
Your team name this year is Team RiRo. Where did that come from?
Team RiRo ā yeah a bit like J.Lo. We just felt that a little double-barrelled name would be good and we wanted to be Team Fabulous because we are Team Fabulous or Team Sparkle. We figured wer had to go with our names so Team RiRo works perfectly.
Weāve noticed this year that youāve got a lot of fan Twitter channels. Whatās that like for you?
Iām really happy that there are so many fans all of a sudden for me and Lisa. There are a lot of people rooting for Lisa. Sheās quite openly said that sheās a big girl and sheās doing it for big girls. There are lots of big girls out there and she wants to prove she can dance. Everyone wants to get behind that. Sheās just adorable and her bubbly personality is infectious and you canāt help but love her.
Why should people vote Team RiRo on this yearās show?
People should vote for Team RiRo because weāre just fabulous. Lisa is going to have a massive journey on this show and thatās what itās all about. People are going to see week-after-week that she loves this. Not only does she love it but sheās going to improve and get better. We want everyone to get behind us and see how good she can really be.
āStrictly Come Dancingā returns to BBC One on Friday 5thĀ and Saturday 6thĀ October 2012. You can follow Team RiRo on TwitterĀ @RobinWindsorĀ andĀ @RealLisaRiley