James Martin admits why he didn’t want to do Strictly Come Dancing ‘at all’

James Martin has revealed why he didn’t want to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.

Opening up on his time on Strictly Come Dancing, James Martin told HELLO! that he originally didn’t want to take part in the BBC ballroom dancing competition.

The TV chef took part in the third series of the dancing show back in 2005, partnering up with former Strictly professional dancer Camilla Dallerup who made it to week nine with the star - just missing out on the semi-final stage.

Revealing that at the time he didn’t want to take part in the show, James said, “I didn't want to do it (Strictly), not at all. But it's one of those chef things – if you want to do something and do it well, you've got to throw yourself at it."

Addressing one of the reasons why he wasn’t keen on taking part, James explained, "To be honest with you, the audience frightened me. It's probably easier without the audience.

“I remember standing at the top of the staircase, Bruce would go down. You'd be stood there in a line going oh my god, have you heard everybody? The music frightens you anyway. The audience lifts you for sure but it gave me nerves."

However he revealed that his determination and stamina during the competition is what he credits for preparing him for his Saturday morning TV show.

James also revealed that he is still in contact with his professional dancing partner Camilla, adding, "I think she's in LA. She's into healing and reiki now. I'm still in contact with her, all the people who did it when I did.

“Zoe Ball was the same year as me, Darren Gough. That was magical but it was before Blackpool Tower. It was the first year of the Wembley tour."

James also commented on the power of social media, after closing his Twitter account just days ago due to online trolling.

"It's a powerful tool. You've got to learn how to respect it,” he said. “The main thing is my family – I speak to my mum every single day. They're the important things in your life, not what people think."