Heartbreaking reason Strictly’s Chris McCausland was ‘in denial’ about losing his sight as he reveals ’embarrassment’
THE heartbreaking reason Chris McCausland was ‘in denial’ about losing his sight has been revealed, as he shared his ‘embarrassment.’
The 47-year-old Strictly star has left fans of the show gobsmacked after learning to dance alongside pro partner Dianne Buswell, with the comedian wowing audiences and the judges alike with his talents.
But Chris, who lost his sight by the age of 22 due to the hereditary genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa, has spoken about the “shame” he felt when it all happened.
The star admits he was in “a lot of denial” at the time, when he went blind in his early twenties, and did think there could be a cure.
Chris shared: “Being blind wasn’t just something that happened to me, it was hereditary. Nan was blind, my mum was losing her sight.
“It was always treated as just part of life, so you get on with it. That’s fed into my way of viewing it.
“But I did always think, things are moving so fast, we’ve got the internet now, surely there will be a cure and I’ll be able to see by the time I’m 30. I mean 40.
“I mean… and it just moves on and on. When somebody has a disability that comes out of the blue, it is easy and understandable for parents to be protective and wrap them in cotton wool.
“There’s a worry, there’s a panic, there’s a lack of experience. But having it in the family meant even with me having poor sight in my childhood, I was treated no different, sent out playing in the streets. All that forms your personality when you’re older.”
Chris continued to tell Big Issue: “I’d tell my younger self, don’t be so embarrassed, don’t feel such shame. I lost most of my sight in my late teens and early 20s and with it the ability to see the computer monitor, to see in the dark.
“So I also lost the independence that gives you. At that age, you’ve got this desire to be normal. So there was a lot of denial.
“When you’re losing your sight gradually, there’s never a clear moment when you are forced to deal with it. I’d refuse to be associated with things connected to it, like, ‘I’m not using a stick, I’m going to pretend I can see’.
“But you get into more trouble pretending there’s nothing wrong. It wasn’t until I lost my sight completely that I accepted it.
“Going through that embarrassment and shame toughened me up, though. Which lent itself well to doing stand-up.”
He previously said his 11-year-old Sophie worried about him “making a fool of himself” in front of millions on live TV every Saturday night.
Strictly 2024 pairings
Here's who is matched with who this series...
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
But comedian Chris, 47, who has made it to the iconic Blackpool stage of the competition, has proved he is no laughing stock — and is now the bookies’ favourite to be crowned the winner next month.
He said: “My daughter is like me — I think she uses comedy to maybe hide her true worries sometimes.
“She was joking, ‘Oh yeah, you will probably fall off the stage and break your leg and ha, ha, ha’.”
Chris, who has been married to his wife Patricia for 12 years, added: “I do think there was a concern there.
“It is my job to look after Sophie and raise her. But I do think she does worry about me.
“But there is an anxiety of looking silly or making a fool of yourself and being embarrassed. Maybe she was a little bit worried about me doing that on the telly.
“She is still nervous every week, but she has really got on board with it and she is embracing it now.”