Will Mellor has vowed to flirt with 'Strictly Come Dancing' judges Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas to improve his chances of winning the show.
Will Mellor vows to flirt with Strictly judges in a bid to win the Glitterball trophy
The former 'Hollyoaks' actor has joked he will turn his charm on to try to impress the panellists, who also include Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke, in a bid to clinch the Glitterball trophy.
He told Radio Times magazine: "I’ve been known to flirt a little bit to get judges on my side - so I might flirt a little bit with Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood!"
But Will may not need to get his flirt on to be successful in this year's 20th series, after he and wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin both topped the leaderboard with scores of 34 out of 40 after last weekend's first live show.
It may not have come as a surprise to punters, as Will was the most popular pick to win the show prior to Friday night's (23.09.22) launch episode.
According to Ladbrokes, Will topped the charts in terms of bets placed with 16.5 per cent, followed by Bros singer Matt Goss with 13.5 per cent, and ex-'Coronation Street' star Kym Marsh with 12.9 per cent.
Will was third favourite to win the series ahead of the first live episode, behind 'Countryfile' host Helen Skelton and radio presenter Fleur East, but after topping the leaderboard, he is now the favourite.
But the 46-year-old star - who is partnered with 'Strictly' professional dancer Nancy Xu - did have an injury concern before dancing live for the first time, after he suffered some knee pain during rehearsals.
In a video showing him icing his knee with a bag of frozen peas, he said: "Just in rehearsal for Strictly. Will's knees sponsored by peas. I'm knackered."
Alongside the clip, he wrote: "In rehearsal for @bbcstrictly!! My knees are in shock!! #tooldforthis #strictlycomedancing #dancing #badknees #shattered. (sic)
Tagged in Craig Revel Horwood Will Mellor Anton Du Beke