KEVIN Clifton loves Glasgow.
We know this, because the former Strictly Come Dancing star has a tattoo on his foot that says he does.
“Oh, yes, ha ha - the tattoo,” he bursts out laughing. “The cast of Strictly Ballroom found out about it and they think it’s hilarious. Was it one of life’s ‘felt like a good idea at the time?’ moments? No, honestly – I still love it, I really do.”
Kevin agreed to get the ‘I Love Glasgow’ tattoo after Susan Calman, his celebrity partner on the hit Saturday night show got an ‘I Love Grimsby’ tattoo in honour of his home town after the pair made it to Blackpool. He had it done live on This Morning as a result.
“I will definitely be texting Susan when we’re in Glasgow, we are still really good mates,” says Kevin.
Kevin is starring in Strictly Ballroom the Musical, which comes to Glasgow on June 5.
It is his dream role, he says, having “been obsessed” with the film since he was 10 years old.
“I think it was because it was a film about ballroom dancing, and there weren’t many of those around back then,” he explains.
“Also, the character of Scott Hastings was so fascinating – he was a dancer, and he was really cool, and before Strictly Come Dancing, ballroom wasn’t really portrayed in that way. So he became a bit of a hero to me.”
Based on the Baz Luhrmann film, Strictly Ballroom The Musical tells story of Scott Hastings, a talented, arrogant and rebellious young ballroom dancer whose radical dance moves see him fall out of favour with the Australian Federation.
When he finds himself dancing with Fran (Coronation Street’s Faye Brookes), a beginner with little confidence, the unlikely pair gather the courage to defy both convention and their families.
Kevin admits there is pressure in taking on such a famous role in a film he loves.
“I think because I love it so much, I put a lot of pressure on myself, to be honest – it has to be right,” he explains. “There have been a couple of versions of it over the years, but I think when you mess with it too much, you lose something… If you have seen it and love it, there are some parts that absolutely have to be in the stage show. We have tried to keep it as close to the film as possible.”
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He adds: “It’s Baz Luhrmann, so of course it is OTT and flamboyant and manic, but at the centre of it all are Scott and Fran. There are moments when we can slow things down, just be in their world, distant from everything going on around them.”
Kevin “grew up in a dance school”, he laughs.
“My mum and dad were ballroom dancers,” he adds. “My dad was always interested in musical theatre too, and I remember him taking me and my sister Joanne to see shows like Cats. Afterwards, he would always say - what was it you loved about the show? How did it make you feel?”
Kevin pauses. “I think that’s why in everything I do, it’s always about how it makes people feel. Like on Strictly, I was more concerned about storytelling and entertaining people. That felt more important than creating something technically perfect that impressed Shirley Ballas….”
Kevin and his partner Stacey Dooley – with whom he lifted the glitterball trophy on Strictly in 2018 – have just had a baby girl, Minnie, who he says is their “obsession”.
“She is amazing,” he sighs. “I do miss them on tour, but it does mean I get eight hours sleep a night. Stacey has been great about it – she just said, go on, do your show, get your good night’s sleep – just don’t tell me about it…”
Since leaving Strictly, Kevin admits he has achieved some of his biggest goals. As well as his “dream role” of Scott Hastings in Strictly Ballroom, he played Cosmo Brown in the UK tour of Singin’ in the Rain and indulged his lifelong love of rock music by appearing in Rock of Ages.
“It feels a bit like: bucket list complete,” he says, smiling. “Everything else is a bonus now.
“Before, I’d always be looking ahead, asking what’s next and never thinking to appreciate what I’m doing at the time.”
He adds: “There are things I want to do – more acting, some writing, but the big roles, the ones I dreamed of doing, I have achieved. And that’s a really nice feeling to have....”
Strictly Ballroom: The Musical is at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow from June 5 to 10.
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