Debbie McGee claims she felt Sir Bruce Forsyth’s spirit on the set of Strictly Come Dancing
DEBBIE McGee revealed she felt the spirit of the late Strictly Come Dancing host Sir Bruce Forsyth while on the set of the BBC show.
The legendary entertainer died last month aged 89 following a period of ill health and tonight tribute was paid to him as Strictly returned to screens.
In an interview with the , Debbie said: "I was watching the lighting guys... I was watching them and the dances and actually Brucie was with me.
"It was quite a feeling. He was really there. I thought, 'everybody knows how involved he was with the show."
"Whenever I watched Paul on the show Bruce always came into the studio to do a warm-up and he lit the place up. This week I've had some lovely moments thinking of Paul and Bruce. It added to the experience."
Debbie's had to deal with her own grief after her husband Paul Daniels died from brain cancer in March 2016 aged 77.
“He’s always on my mind,” Debbie told the .
“It’s a comforting thing. We lived in each other’s pockets for so long.
“So much of what I learnt about showbizness was from him so he’s always there. He would love it because he’d know that I would be excited. He would just say ‘Do your best.’”
Debbie previously confessed she was "jealous" of Paul's own Strictly Come Dancing stint as she was revealed as the talent show's final contestant alongside Paralympian Jonnie Peacock and singer Alexandra Burke.
The trio were officially announced on tonight's The One Show as the line-up for the 2017 series was complete - and they even got a special good luck message from former Head Judge Len Goodman.
Bubbly former magician's assistant Debbie, who tragically lost her spouse to a brain tumour last year, aged 77, and confessed she was delighted to be finally following in his footsteps.
She told hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones in a special tribute show to former host Bruce Forsyth, who died on Friday, she had relished her first day of training today.
Debbie, 58, who The Sun revealed as a contestant earlier today, said: "I'd always loved the programme and wanted to do it and when Paul signed up I was really jealous.
"I wanted to do it.
"I loved it when he did it."
She added: "I can't believe it, I'm still pinching myself."
Debbie met Paul in 1979 when she became his magic show assistant and they were married for 28 years.
In 2010, Paul battled for the programme's iconic glitter ball trophy with Ola Jordan.
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