Top News

After trading in the rugby pitch for theStrictlydance floor, Chris Robshaw has got a taste for reality TV – with the former England captain eyeing up a spot on Celebrity Traitors.

Chris, 39, told the Mirror in an exclusive chat that he would gladly follow in the footsteps of his good pal Joe Marler, 35, who starred in the celebrity spin-off of the hit BBC show last year.

He reveals: “I think I’d be like Alan Carr– I don’t know if I could lie well enough, but he did alright, to be fair. He was brilliant. I haven’t watched the civilian series, but Joe Marler was amazing. I’ve known him since he was 18; we go way back."

• ‘I tried this air styler £200 cheaper than Dyson and it curled my short hair faster than ever’

The former rugby union player added, "It’s great to see characters like Joe on shows like that, me doing Strictly, players doing podcasts – it shows rugby is getting back into a really good place.”

Last year saw Chris take on one of his biggest challenges yet as he competed on Strictly alongside his professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova, 36. While the pair were eliminated in week four, he has nothing but good words to say about the show.

He says: “I really enjoyed it – more than I thought I would. I’m not a dancer, I’m not a particularly musical man, and it was very much outside my comfort zone. But I had an incredible partner in Nadia, who helped me massively, and we had great fun. The whole Strictly experience is like being in a bubble, and I honestly can’t speak highly enough of it.”

That said, he believes that the person who’ll step in for Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly – the hosts announced their departure from the show in October - have a huge job on their hands.

He explains: “It’s such a shame - two decades is a long time and they’ll be hard to replace. They’re brilliant at making people feel relaxed, especially when you’re absolutely terrified on the dance floor.

"Whoever takes it on has big shoes to fill. Jeanette [Manrara] does a great job on It Takes Two, so she’d be good. I’m sure the BBC has a long list. Maybe I’m on it - put a fiver on those odds!”

As he prepared to get his sparkles and fake tan on last September, he confessed that his wife Camilla, with whom he shares sons Wilding, four, and Hunter, one, actually started laughing when he told her he'd said yes to the BBC show.

"My wife very much started laughingwhen we first found out, because she knows about my dance moves. But also, she was my biggest supporter. She was like, ‘Look, it’s a great opportunity. It’s amazing, so go and do it, we’ll support you.’ "

He confessed his little boys were excited, too. " For my boys as well, it’s just showing them, ‘You know what? You’ve got to step out of your comfort zone every now and then and really challenge yourself’."

Chris attended the Cirque du Soleil "OVO" VIP premiere at Royal Albert Hall