Craig Revel Horwood invites the lonely over to his house for Christmas.
Craig Revel Horwood invites the lonely over for Christmas
The 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge - who's known for his harsh comments on the BBC Latin and ballroom competition - has revealed his softer side as he explained he likes to "make everyone feel special" over the festive period.
He told the Metro newspaper: “People who can’t go see their families come to my house for Christmas. It’s important to create a community and family of your own.
"I phone my own family and try to make everyone feel special. I have 12 people over for Christmas who don’t have anywhere else to go.”
The acid-tongued judge couldn’t be further from his reputation as the ‘Strictly’ Grinch persona, and he's a big fan of Christmas.
He recently released new single 'It's Christmas, Merry Christmas' with actress Rietta Austin, and he joked it's already his favourite festive song.
Tooting his own horn, Craig quipped: "'It’s Christmas, Merry Christmas’, which is my own song I recorded with Rietta Austin. It’s a 1950s-style Christmas song. And I like ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey."
Horwood - who grew up in Australia before he moved to London - is always excited by a traditional Christmas dinner as he never got to eat one Down Under, as the 40-degree heat meant he would usually end up eating shrimp on the barbecue.
He added: “I’ve got 12 people coming so I have a turkey, I make the stuffing and gravy myself, and I also have a huge leg of lamb and a huge ham. We have all the trimmings – sprouts, cauliflower, roasties and peas are a necessity.
“I like Christmas pudding, I make my mum’s Christmas pudding which is a lighter version. It’s a plum pudding and more like a sponge.
“When I was growing up in Australia it was too hot for that – we’d have seafood or a barbecue. It was 40 degrees so the last thing you want it to be sweating over the carving. And you can’t eat that much because of the temperature.”
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