Strictly icon says 'I thought I was going to die on stage every night'
Former Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan has confessed that he often questioned whether he was going to "die" during last year's sold-out show, Legends of the Dance Floor tour.
Joined by fellow former BBC professionals Ian Waite, Pasha Kovalev, Brendan Cole, and Vincent Simone, the group dazzled audiences across the UK with their high-energy routines and entertaining behind-the-scenes stories.
However, after being away from live performances for a while, James, who is married to ex-Strictly star Ola, found the intense demands of the tour especially challenging, particularly during a fast jive routine, when he genuinely feared he might not make it through in front of packed crowds.
He told The Sun: "Every night I did that jive I thought 'is tonight the night that I'm going to die?'" Laughing, he added: "Pasha, you're the one every night that used to say 'if he dies he dies.'"
(Image: Terry Blackburn)
Thankfully, 46-year-old James is still going strong and gearing up for another theatre tour this September with The Return of the Legends.
When the five dancers hit the road for last year's tour, they received high praise from Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas and this time, the whole team is throwing themselves into preparation.
In addition to this, James and fellow dancer Ian Waite just got back from an intense fitness retreat overseas, joined by other former athletes, including Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington.
(Image: Getty Images)
Despite being the oldest of the group, 54-year-old Ian proudly showed off an impressive eight-pack. While James might not be quite as ripped, he's proven his dedication by shedding weight and pushing through several health challenges, including shoulder surgery and hernia repairs that required reconstruction of his inguinal canal.
Getting back on tour has reignited his drive, and he's committed to being in peak shape for the upcoming shows.
(Image: (Image: GETTY))
James said: "Ian is just an anomaly, he's a freak of nature. I've just been for a week with him on holiday actually a fitness week; he's 54 years old and he's as fit as anyone 20 years younger than him.
"I'm trying to keep up but unfortunately, genetically, don't have the same joints and bones that Ian does. I've had shoulder surgery, I need shoulder surgery on this one, I've just had a hernia operation where they had to totally reconstruct my inguinal canal.
"I've got bad knees, I suffer with my back, I've got tennis elbow. However, I'm one of these people, as Ian knows, I've got to get over myself and try and get through it, and this year will be no different," he confessed.
The Return of the Legends will be on tour from September.
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