'Strictly scarier than first gig' says Chris McCausland

Stand-up comedian Chris McCausland has described taking part in Strictly Come Dancing as more terrifying than his very first gig.

The 48-year star, who won the long-running BBC One competition in 2024, was the first blind contestant ever to take part on the show.

He said participating on the programme had been "the biggest risk" of his career, while eventually lifting the glitterball trophy opposite dancing partner Dianne Buswell was "the biggest reward".

"It was so terrifying and I was so out of my comfort zone - it could have been a total disaster," said McCausland, due to appear at venues across the South East later this month.

He added that the challenge was even more daunting than his gag-cracking live debut at a London pub some two decades ago, before which he "didn't eat for days".

"People say to me, 'Oh, you must be so bored of talking about Strictly', but I'm not, honestly," he added.

"I don't want people to forget."

However, despite that achievement, he doesn't want to be regarded as an inspiration to other blind people.

"I don't think blind people need inspiring, I think it's more a case that everybody else needs educating," he said.

"It's their expectations which need to be raised, because the people they underestimate are capable of more than they think."

McCausland was also recent joint winner of the media champion of the year title at the 2026 British Diversity Awards.

The judges congratulated him on using his fame to improve representation for disabled people across the media industry.

The comedian was registered blind in his 20s after losing his sight to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition.

He later began writing stand-up as a way to beat boredom while recovering from a bout of shingles.

He has always said he is determined not to be known just for his disability.

"I purposely pushed against all of that," he said last year.

McCausland will be performing in Folkestone on 17 April, Eastbourne on 18 April, and Guildford on 24 April.

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