BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland turned down offer by show bosses

Strictly Come Dancing's bosses were ready to ease Chris McCausland's experience on the dance floor, but the comedian firmly declined any special treatment. The 47-year-old from Liverpool has created a milestone as the first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional Dianne Buswell.

The BBC One audience has been thoroughly impressed by his dance capabilities, receiving acclaims from judges and viewers alike, with many rooting for him to clinch the title. But prior to his appearance, as revealed during The One Show on Wednesday (October 30), hosted by Clara Amfo and Vernon Kay, Chris shared that producers had anticipated challenges for him due to his blindness and had even offered to keep the studio audience silent during his performances to facilitate his routines.

When Clara queried if the audience impacted his performance, he admitted: "yes it does, because when you train, I have a sense of dianne around me, and the space around me. But when you get an audience making a lot of noise, it all closes in around you and I can't really hear Dianne at all. So it makes it very different."

Admitting the intense anxiety during his initial dance, "a lot of nerves" due to worry about his capacity to perform, he acknowledged the show's readiness to adapt: "They did offer me and say 'Would you like us to ask the audience to be quiet while you're dancing so it doesn't affect you? '".

Chris took a trip down memory lane, saying, "It was a nice offer" but he was resolute in his decision as he assured, "I'd rather go out in a blaze of glory in two weeks than do eight weeks in silence."

His recollection comes on the back of a cautionary statement directed at Strictly Come Dancing bosses following his opening performance last Saturday (October 26). Speaking with Fleur East on Monday, Chris branded his latest routine "horrible" and warned, "I don't like going on first and if they put me on first again, we're going to be having words. My routine went out the window."

He further lamented the lost chance that typically belonged to him – being slated to begin Saturday's show, he missed rehearsing his dance one more time in the secluded spot where contestants usually steel themselves for their performance. "When you're on first, you don't get any of that. You have to be in a queue and when you're in a queue, you think. And the more I thought, the more I realised - I don't know these stands! ".

And it wasn't just Chris who felt the heat; even Dianne Buswell experienced a wave of panic backstage. Despite the early jitters, the duet eventually strutted out a samba to 'Stayin' Alive' by the Bee Gees, scoring 26 – quite a dip from their previous score of 35 out of 40, reports the Mirror.

Coming up, Chris and Dianne are set to conquer another routine for Icons Week, rocking out to 'Rock and Roll All Nite' by KISS, hoping to stave off the dread of the dance-off.