Fred Sirieix signed up for the 'Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special' so he could face his fears.
Fred Sirieix and Dianne Buswell will team up for the Strictly Christmas Special
The 'First Dates' star is to perform alongside pro dancer Dianne Buswell in the festive episode on Christmas Day (25.12.21), and he wanted to take part in the BBC show because he was "so scared" about the opportunity.
When asked what made him want to take part, Fred said: "Fear! When I got the call I was as excited as I was scared, I can’t let fear rule me.
"Because I was so scared I thought, I had to do it. It’s about finding that headspace, with myself and Dianne, ignoring everything around us, which is a challenge and I can’t wait."
The 49-year-old star admitted rehearsals for the festive show have been "hard", but he is glad Dianne has shown him some tough love.
He said: "Training has been great, I’m not a dancer, so it’s been hard.
"It is physical and mental, you have to put the time in.
"Dianne has been great, she has been honest and she doesn’t sugar coat it, and I love that."
Quizzed about whether Fred is a good student, Dianne said: "He is very good, we met in the studio, within a minute and 30 seconds, about as long as our dance, I felt like I had known Fred forever!
"When we were learning it, we’d do one step and he was so eager to learn the next one.
"It was refreshing and so great to have someone so keen to learn the dance. I couldn’t ask for anything more!
"As well as having a good laugh along the way, it was great to have a partner who was so keen to learn how to dance."
The 'Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special' airs on Christmas Day on BBC One at 5:10pm.