Strictly star reveals paralysing stage fright so bad he begged partner to SLAP him in the face
STRICTLY'S Rhys Stephenson has revealed paralysing stage fright so bad he begged his partner to SLAP him in the face.
The CBBC star has opened up about pre-show nerves before his epic performances.
Despite his confident persona, Rhys has confessed he needs to be pepped up before he goes out to perform on Strictly.
The 27-year-old who has won a legion of fans dancing alongside his pro partner Nancy Xu, told magazine: "I was about 80% excited and 20% nervous.
"When the show begins and they say, 'Rhys and Nancy, you guys are up', that’s when I’m paralysed with fear.
"So I told Nancy to give me a couple of quick slaps across the face and I’d be fine."
Nancy has certainly been working him hard.
She told the magazine: " I am very hard in practice but I am a nice person really."
Most read in Showbiz
Rhys added: "She warned me not to be put off by her face. She said it might look a bit hard but it’s not personal, it’s just her “resting training face”.
"So I had to be careful not to look at her and think that she hated me. That was just her being intense."
The two of them opened up about their infectious chemistry too.
Nancy said: "He’s my first celebrity partner and, having seen what he could do, I felt so lucky."
Rhys added: "We both have a lot of energy – Claudia Winkleman knew she wouldn’t get a word in edgeways when she interviewed us. If they took mine and Nancy’s energy, they could power a few countries with that."