Lewis Cope is not a professional dancer, despite the overblown accusations that he has too much experience to be on Strictly Come Dancing.
The former Emmerdale actor, 30, had an unusual start to his Strictly journey. He had been waiting in the wings as a back-up until Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn was forced to drop out of the contest due to injury.
But it didn’t take long for Lewis’s breakout role in the West End to raise questions about his credentials. He also appeared in the reality TV series Got To Dance, fronted by Davina McCall and judged by Ashley Banjo – making it all the way to the final.
Speaking to Metro, however, Lewis stressed that he has minimal dance experience and has spent almost all of his life working as an actor. His only formal dance training was for his role in Billy Elliot when he was 11 years old – and he hasn’t trained since.
Hitting back at accusations of being professionally trained, Lewis told us: ‘I don’t really know where all that came from, to be honest. I trained as an actor, I danced a bit when I was a teen, but haven’t since. It’s only ever really been acting for me for a long, long time – so I don’t really know where that came from.’
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‘I don’t really take notice of it though – everyone’s so strong, and anyone can pull out a brilliant performance at any point.’
He continued: ‘To call me professionally trained or a professional dancer seems a bit bizarre, especially now that I’m working with these pros on the show. It’s kind of an insult to them, really, to suggest I’m on their level when they’ve dedicated their lives to becoming as brilliant as they are.’
Arguably, Strictly Come Dancing has never felt like more of an open race. Bookmakers are going back and forth between Lewis, YouTube star George Clarke, reality TV queen Vicky Pattison, and former Lioness Karen Carney as potential winners. Last Saturday, ER and Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston became the oldest contestant ever to top the leaderboard, delivering a showstopping samba that made her a serious contender for the Glitterball trophy.
Lewis has already delivered two of the strongest performances of the series – jumping into the splits in week one, and stunning with a breathtaking Viennese Waltz. Head judge Shirley Ballas, however, called it “too aggressive”, and Lewis received a modest 27 out of 40. His partner Katya Jones claimed the level of talent and skill he showed deserved more “appreciation”.
I ask Lewis if he feels he’s being judged in a different league to everyone else in the contest, given the reports of his experience.
‘I don’t really look at it like that,’ he says. ‘I just see it as: they’re the experts, they’ve got all the experience in these dance styles, and I just take constructive criticism, really. I try to implement it in training and hopefully just come back better every week.’
Even when Craig Revel Horwood tells George Clarke, ‘Lewis better watch his back?’
He laughs: ‘I think it’s just a bit of fun – fun rivalry in the competition.’
In many ways, it feels like Lewis’s life has been building up to this moment. As one of 14 siblings, he always had a captive and supportive audience.
‘There was always a lot of us around all the time, so I guess I was used to storytelling at parties or gatherings. Maybe that’s where the acting came from.’
Each one of his brothers and sisters has their own passion – something his mother was keen to encourage, even if it meant regular trips to boxing rings, football pitches, or horse riding centres. For Lewis, it was drama classes – somewhat against the grain of his keen boxer brothers, who were ‘always very supportive.’
At just 11 years old, he was cast as Michael in Billy Elliot – the gay best friend of the aspiring ballet dancer. That was the turning point for Lewis: suddenly, he saw a future he hadn’t believed was possible for a working-class kid from Hartlepool – a future as a professional actor.
As well as opening doors, it taught Lewis a lesson he still carries with him today: ‘Nothing defines you. You can do whatever you want. You can be whoever you want.’
That self-belief and determination to push his own limits – to dive into the unknown – is partly why he’s now jumping into splits and twirling around the dancefloor in front of millions every Saturday night.
Already, working-class boys like Lewis are being inspired by seeing him live out dreams they didn’t think were possible.’ I got a message last week from a Hartlepool Facebook group – a mother said her six-year-old son watched me and now he wants to start dance lessons. That was a big moment for me. That’s when I realised – it’s more than just a TV show.’
As for his plans after Strictly, Lewis knows where his heart lies.
‘I’m very passionate about working-class people – helping them thrive. But I’d love to go back to acting. I’d love to do films and big TV dramas.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight at 6.05pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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