They are the Strictly stars who showed a whole new side to themselves on the dance floor.
Out of all the contestants in Strictly Come Dancing, two women revealed personalities we didn鈥檛 expect.
Dragons鈥 Den star Deborah Meaden has a reputation as a hard-nosed businesswoman who doesn鈥檛 suffer fools gladly.
But on the dancefloor we saw her beaming, and giggling like an excited schoolgirl while rehearsing with partner Robin Windsor.
And TV viewers knew actress Natalie Gumede as evil Kirsty in Coronation Street, who physically abused boyfriend Tyrone. They鈥檝e been able to see the person behind the character and voted her into the final, where she topped the leaderboard with two perfect 40 scores.
Now both women are continuing their Strictly journey by going on the live 海角视频 tour, which kicks off in Birmingham on January 17.
Hosted by former contestant Lisa Riley, it features Deborah and Natalie alongside winner Abbey Clancy, runner-up Susanna Reid, Ben Cohen, Mark Benton and Nicky Byrne.
Deborah, 54, is thrilled to be 鈥渂ack in the Strictly bubble鈥. She was perhaps the most disappointed to be voted out of the contest in week five after her Viennese waltz with Robin Windsor, with whom she is reunited on the tour.
She seemed to be having a ball on the show and showed off her softer side, though suggest she wasn鈥檛 that bothered about winning and her response is as fiery as a Dragon.
鈥淥h, I am highly competitive,鈥 she insists. 鈥淲e trained every day for 10 hours. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, I want to win!
鈥淏ut I think people have seen a different side to me. I鈥檓 not ruthless and if people think of me as that, I find that a shame.
鈥淚 have rules but I don鈥檛 do things at all costs 鈥 that鈥檚 not me.
鈥淚 am investing my own money in Dragons鈥 Den, it鈥檚 a serious thing and it would be very disrespectful if I sat there giggling.
鈥淏ut that鈥檚 in the Den. There鈥檚 more to me and people have very generously seen me through a wider lens. They have really embraced me and I so value that.
鈥淚 have a real giggle with Robin. I don鈥檛 take instruction well and he realised early on that I have to be engaged and enjoy myself if I am to learn.
鈥淭here was nothing else in my mind apart from the next dance when I was competing. I have a business head and a Strictly head, as there鈥檚 no room for both at the same time.
鈥淏ut when I left, it felt like unfinished business, so I knew that I had to do the tour or I would regret it.鈥
So could someone take advantage of this softer side of Deborah in the boardroom? Let them try, she says forcefully!
Deborah and Robin鈥檚 dances included a tango to Money Money Money, a cha cha cha to Respect and a jive to Bucks Fizz鈥檚 Making Your Mind Up.
But her favourite dance was the quickstep to Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson.
鈥淚 would love to do our quickstep again on tour, as it was the dance when I suddenly got it and had a joyous moment. I was really beaming.
鈥淚 went on the dance floor really looking forward to doing it, whereas prior to that I was terrified.
鈥淚 love that dress, too. It鈥檚 a beautiful white and blue sequined dress with lots of memories attached to it.
鈥淚 kept my ballroom shoes and I will keep dancing with my husband.鈥
Deborah鈥檚 husband Paul surprised her during the competition by revealing he was secretly taking dance lessons too.
鈥淗ow lovely is that?鈥 cries Deborah. 鈥淚 had my first dance with him the other week and it was wonderful.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not a natural dancer, he finds it very difficult and he鈥檚 very tall so we don鈥檛 fit very well, but he was actually very good. I鈥檇 have told him if he wasn鈥檛!
鈥淲e did an American smooth which I never did on Strictly, so he was teaching me the steps.
鈥淚 had to say yes to Strictly as I鈥檓 such a fan, but I didn鈥檛 know how much I would love it. I鈥檓 so pleased I did it. At my age, to find something you love is special. I hope I鈥檝e encouraged other people to have a go. With the pleasure I get from dancing, I want everyone to feel what I鈥檝e felt!
鈥淪o try it, please, as it鈥檚 never too late.鈥
Natalie Gumede impressed the judges with her almost-perfect dancing in the final, especially in her show dance with Artem Chigvintsev to Steppin鈥 Out With My Baby.
Natalie, 29, says: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have long to relax after the final before we鈥檙e back rehearsing for the tour.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to it. The pressure is off and we are going round the country thanking people for their support, really.
鈥淚 have been completely bowled over by the public reaction. You share yourself, your performance and your heart in a show like this and put so much into every dance. For people to respond positively has just been overwhelming.
鈥淚 spent so many years being told no and being rejected, so for people to get behind me is really humbling.
鈥淢ind you, I鈥檓 not sure everybody has dismissed the horrible woman from Coronation Street yet! She was a big character and her spectre still looms large. A show like Corrie has a massive impact and people invest in the characters. I was so lucky to have played someone like that for two years.
鈥淚t will take longer for Kirsty to disappear, but I hope people have seen the real me.
鈥淪trictly is very life enriching. You think you are going on to do a bit of dancing but it鈥檚 so much more than that.鈥
Natalie is looking forward to coming back to Birmingham, where she has appeared twice in the TV soap Doctors in different roles, the last time in 2009.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a rite of passage for any actress 鈥 you鈥檙e not a proper actress until you鈥檝e been in Doctors!鈥 she laughs.
So did she take anything away from Strictly, and will she carry on dancing?
鈥淢y souvenir is a nice picture of me and Artem from week one which they blew up into a massive poster, so I will still be able to look at his face long after he has gone from my life.
鈥淚 think he has got his chest out in the picture, but that鈥檚 old news. I see it every day, the novelty has worn off!
鈥淪trictly has re-ignited my love for dance so I can鈥檛 let it go completely. I might do a dance class just for myself.鈥
* Strictly Come Dancing Live comes to Birmingham鈥檚 NIA for five shows from January 17-19. For tickets ring 0844 338 8000 or go to
