Russell Kane: I said no to Strictly twice

Comic loves dancing.. but says comedy comes first

comedy Russell Kane says he’s been asked to be Strictly Come Dancing twice – and rejected them both times,

The comedian said he has a lifelong dream of becoming a dancer but did not want to detract from his job as a comic.

He told Russell Howard on his Wonderbox podcast: ‘I love dancing so much. I’ve been moving since I was born. I had to be checked over by the obstetrician because I was born writhing, and I’ve been super- energetic from the moment I can remember. Always had to tone it down. Right now it's incredibly hard for me to sit still I

‘Had I not come from a shithole council estate with a knuckle-dragging, shaven-headed, steroid-injecting bouncer dad, I probably would’ve done something with dancing. So it was something I didn’t do anything with.

‘I don’t do anything with it now because I don’t want to turn into one of those Russells that’s like, "I'm also a philosopher. I'm also a dancer. I'm also a novelist." No, I’m a fucking comic. I’m lucky to be one.

‘Of course, I will do all the TV and all that shit. I'll do anything that's thrown at me. But ultimately, it's about stand up comedy, I’m not interested in anything else.’

‘I’ve been offered Strictly twice and said no twice.’

Kane did famously take part in Let's Dance for Comic Relief in 2011, performing to Beyonce's Crazy In Love