Adam Peaty admits he can see why the Strictly curse happens

Strictly Come Dancing star Adam Peaty has revealed that he understands how the 'Strictly curse' happens to couples competing in the BBC dancing competition.

Adam Peaty and his dance partner Katya Jones are one of the fifteen Strictly Come Dancing 2021 couples that are participating in the show.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Adam admitted that he can understand how the 'strictly curse' can happen as the celebrity contestants become very close with their professional dancer partners.

In the interview, Adam said, "My hips are here, hers are here, and then we do this…” [He motions a pelvis gyration.] “You get close. I can see how it happens.”

The 'Strictly curse' refers to the high number of celebrities who participate in the show and end up falling for their dance partner. 

This is often referred to as a curse because many of the celebrities who fell victim to this phenomenon were in relationships—or even married—when they left their life partner for their dance partner after participating in the show.

This 'curse' has even been a concern for other contestants on this series. Emma Thompson gave her husband Greg Wise condoms as a playful joke in case he too fell victim to this phenomenon.

In the interview with The Sunday Times, Adam also spoke fondly about his girlfriend, Eiri Munro, with whom he shares a son. He revealed that the pair met on Tinder and soon after they started dating they found out that they would be expecting a child.

“Obviously it wasn’t planned. I got the call in Australia, with her crying. I was like, ‘OK, this is going to change my life forever."

“I was like, ‘I’m not prepared to be a father.’ I’m very selfish. I’m an athlete. The best athletes in the world have to look after themselves first."

Adam and Eiri's son was born in September 2020 and lockdown was a precious time for the family to spend time together. "We got to know each other. We got to bond together.” He then said that Eiri is, “a great mother, a great person. But it’s not a Hollywood thing, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows—definitely not.”

Adam also revealed in the interview that although people may expect that he has a natural talent for dancing because of his swimming background, he is actually very uncoordinated. 

"Because I’m an Olympic champion, people are expecting that I’m going to be really fit. But that’s got nothing to do with it. In swimming, it’s all one movement; it's fluid. On land, I struggle with coordination—where my hands are, where my feet are.”

Although he was humble about his dancing talent, Adam Peaty's gyrating performance was a talking point for a lot of viewers who were surprised by the Olympian's natural ability on the dancefloor.

The star revealed that he has a serious competitive streak and admitted when it comes to his sport, “I’d rather die than lose.” He even disclosed, “Second, for me, is losing.”

However, he said that when it comes to Strictly, “It’s completely different because I’m having so much fun.” He added, “And if I do get low scores, hopefully, I’m still entertaining. I’m a serious athlete, but I like to have a laugh.”

The next episode of Strictly Come Dancing 2021 continues on Sunday, 3 September, on BBC One at 7:05 pm. The series is broadcasted on BBC One on Saturdays and Sundays around 7 pm.