BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland wants to prove 'blind people can do anything'

Chris McCausland, the comedian who lost his sight at 22 due to a hereditary condition called retinitis pigmentosa, joined Strictly Come Dancing to challenge misconceptions about blind people.

Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: "There are people who have never been exposed to somebody who is blind that have antiquated ideas. People think you can't do anything if you're blind."

He recalled an incident where he was praised for climbing stairs unaided and expressed his desire to show that blind people are more capable than many believe.

However, Chris, 47, fears that if he doesn't perform well on the dance floor, it could undermine his mission. He joked: "The only problem with that is if I'm s***, it doesn't help anybody."

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Last weekend, Chris impressed viewers with his first routine, leading bookies to slash odds on him winning the competition.

This Saturday, he and his professional partner Dianne Buswell, 35, will be performing a foxtrot to The Tams' Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy. He concluded: "It's all about doing things that people think you can't do and doing things that I think I'd struggle to do, and finding ways of doing it."

Chris confessed that during the series' first live show, he had to tell a fellow contestant to "put a sock in it". He revealed that while waiting for his turn to dance, he asked ex-footballer Paul Merson to quiet down because he preferred to listen to the music.

The comedian shared: "I was stood up there for an hour 45 [minutes]. I've got to stand there pretending to watch other people dancing and all I've got is Paul Merson commentating for me, going, 'Ah Chris, he's absolutely brilliant', 'Ah, I haven't even got words to describe how good she is'. I'm like, 'Paul, put a sock in it, I'd rather just have the songs! '".

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One this Saturday at 6.15pm.

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