Kaye Adams has "never been comfortable" with her sexuality.
Kaye Adams on why she took part in Strictly Come Dancing
The 60-year-old journalist is best known for her long-running role as an anchor on ITV1 lunchtime chat show 'Loose Women' but after starting the 'How To Be 60' podcast in the run up to her milestone birthday last year, was asked to take part in 'Strictly Come Dancing' and admitted the decision to say yes was "purely professional" because she has "never been a performer."
She said: "You start a podcast called 'How to Be 60' and then two months later someone says 'Do you want to do 'Strictly?' I deserved to be drummed out the Brownies if I didn't say yes, purely professionally, so [turning 60] was probably the driving force because if it had been an entirely personal decision, I'm not sure I would have done it. That's not for any negative reason, but it was so - I hate that comfort zone expression - but I've never been a performer. I've never been one of these women who is comfortable even with a selfie or pouting or whatever."
The BBC Radio host - who has daughters Charley, 20, and 16-year-old Bonnie with partner Ian Campbell - was the first contestant eliminated from the Latin and ballroom competition and went on to explain that she has never been "comfortable" smiling on camera and initially thought taking part in 'Strictly' would be going "too far."
Speaking on 'White Wine Question Time', she told host Kate Thornton: "I'm not like ['Loose Women' co-star] Denise Welch, with a bloody selfie, hysterical laughing. The camera is there and you've gotta do this laugh with eyes and an open mouth. It makes me die inside! I've just never been one of these women who has been comfortable with my sexuality, I guess that is the truth. I've never been able to do all of that kind of flirty stuff and so 'Strictly', I was like 'Jesus Christ, this is too far for me!' But my professional self said 'Don't be such a t***, do it!' and that's why I did it."
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