As JB Gill wowed the Strictly crowd with his waltz, his two children, Ace and Chiara, were watching on – albeit not on Saturday night.
According to JB, the whole family - ten-year-old Ace, six-year-old Chiara as well as their mum Chloe - gather around the TV to watch Strictly on 鶹Լ iPlayer on Sunday, after Ace’s football training.
The former JLS star, now living on a working farm with his family, has fully embraced the Strictly Come Dancing training schedule, although this isn’t the first time he’s donned the sequins – JB won the Strictly Christmas Special all the way back in 2012.
Tiny Happy People asked how he’s balancing this exciting new challenge with his responsibilities as a dad…
First off, we would love to know how you announced the Strictly news to your family? Were they excited?
“I invited all my family over for a BBQ and announced that I was on Strictly there!
“They all thought I was announcing a pregnancy with my wife Chloe, so they were expecting different news, but the whole family are fans of the show and they’re looking forward to watching me on TV and even coming down to the studio to cheer me on.”
And how are they planning on supporting you in your time on Strictly? Will they get to see you dance live?
“Family is everything to me. Chiara has already made cards and little tokens for me to put in my dressing room for the live shows and then my wife will be there every single week for as long as I’m in it.”
“Ace wants to watch all the shows live but he has football the following morning so we’ll watch with the kids after football on Sunday.”
With the amount of work going into your dance training every week, how are you keeping in touch (or keeping an eye) on the kids?
“Chloe is the best. She will literally hold down the fort for me while I’m in rehearsals, but I’m planning to do the morning school run every day.
“And once the kids have finished school and all their activities, we'll hopefully be able to have dinner together most days which is an important time for us to debrief about training and chat about the days that we've had.”
Your wife Chloe is a dancer and you had a lot of dancing experience in your time with JLS. Has dancing always been a big part of family life and your kids’ childhood?
“My daughter dances, just like her mummy - she was born with it in her body!”
“She does ballet, tap and modern at the same school my wife trained at since she was three years old.
“Both Chiara and Ace are very musical though. Ace sings all day and dancing while we sing makes us all laugh.”
What are your favourite songs to dance to as a family?
“We dance to the Trolls theme music all the time! The kids love listening to Usher and Justin Timberlake too and all of the TikTok trending artists like Jack Harlow, which they tend to dance along to in the car.”
What are you most looking forward to seeing in the future, as a dad?
“I just can’t wait to see what Ace and Chiara will end up doing as adults.
“They are both blessed with some incredible gifts and nothing will give me more pride than seeing them flourish in whatever it is that they choose to do when they grow up.”
JB has been an ambassador for 鶹Լ Tiny Happy People since our launch in 2020. Here's what he had to say about the campaign:
Tiny Happy People is incredibly important. All the activities are great for your child’s future communication skills to help them get the best start.
Best of luck in the ballroom, JB!
