BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Chris McCausland shares emotional reason why Dianne Buswell 'needs to get past Blackpool'

Chris McCausland has spoken out on an emotional reason why he and his professional dancer partner Dianne Buswell hope to remain in the Strictly Come Dancing live shows the week after Blackpool.

The 47-year-old, who is the BBC dance contest's first ever blind contestant, is still in the running to claim the Glitterball trophy after impressing the judges and viewers with his incredible performances.

Last week, the comedian landed a score of 29 for his Tango to Rock and Roll All Nite by Kiss, earning him a place in week eight of the competition. And, if they survive this week, Chris and Dianne will earn a spot to dance in the spectacular Blackpool ballroom.

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But Chris is looking beyond that, as he shared a heartfelt reason why he wants himself and Dianne to perform the following week.

Speaking exclusively to the ECHO, he said: "I've been in here longer than I thought I would be. Everybody goes on about Blackpool, which is next week. Me and Dianne have really had this pipedream of being here the week after Blackpool because her mum and dad are coming from Australia and they haven't seen her dance live for eight years.

"If we can get through these next two weeks then we've hit our goal of her being able to have that moment. This is nothing without her, she has got the most out of me and I think it will be nice if we're both able to give something to each other.

"If we can get to that moment then stick a fork in me, I'll be done. But certainly, I'm hoping to stay in this for as long as possible."

Chris also expressed his joy at staying in the competition. He reflected: "When I came into it, I wanted to surprise people,