Brian Conley has revealed one stressful part of Strictly Come Dancing he reckons is the ‘best laxative in showbusiness’.
The 62-year-old EastEnders star appeared on the ITV show in 2017 alongside Amy Dowden, who had just joined as a professional dancer at the time.
Appearing on the Good Morning Britain sofa this morning alongside Ed Balls and Susanna Reid, the comedian recalled how the latter ‘persuaded’ him to take part in Strictly.
‘I got more points on my driving licence than I did in that show,’ Brian reflected, as they discussed his brother Alan Conley, who is a floor runner on the series.
However, the ITV hosts got more than they bargained for when Brian then revealed the ‘best laxative in showbusiness’ to be a Strictly Come Dancing dance off – which happens when couples find themselves in the bottom two acts, and vulnerable to being sent home.
Although Brian lasted for a number of weeks, he and Amy found themselves in the very first dance off of the series – a moment he won’t be forgetting in a hurry.
‘First week I was in the dance off, my partner god bless her Amy Dowden was in her first series. I was waiting for the introduction, but it went straight into it,’ Brian remembered, recalling how he wished his brother Alan had warned him about this.
‘I lasted six weeks but I was in the first one,’ Brian continued, adding: ‘I just stood there thinking “this is the best known laxative in showbusiness”.’
In the fifteenth series of Strictly – won by Holy City actor Joe McFadden – Brian was joined by fellow famous faces including Alexandra Burke, Debbie McGee and Gemma Atkinson.
Brian also appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2012 alongside the likes of Helen Flannagan, Charlie Brooks and Linda Robson, but left after nine days on medical grounds.
At the end of December Brian’s EastEnders character Rocky Cotton was sent to prison after he was responsible for the catastrophic blaze on the Bridge Street Café in November that injured partner Kathy’s (Gillian Taylforth) grandsons Peter (Thomas Law) and Bobby Beale (Clay Milner-Russell).
This marked his departure from the soap, as Brian paid tribute to a character he’d played since 2021.
Taking to social media, Brian said: ‘Well Rocky, you pretended to be Sonia’s Dad, had two heart attacks, married Kathy Beale, met the King of England, your best mate’s Harry Redknapp, you blew up the cafe, and had a pet parrot called Jasper. Gonna miss you, you old rascal. X’
Chatting about his departure from the soap this morning Brian said he was more of a live performer, having previously hosted The Brian Conley Show.
Conley has also presented the Royal Variety Performance eight times, while his other TV credits include The Grimleys, Time After Time and Last of the Summer Wine.
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