Munroe Bergdorf has a plan to become Strictly’s first trans contestant
Munroe Bergdorf. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Munroe Bergdorf, the model and soon-to-be author, says she has a plan to be the first trans contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
The reality show, which sees public figures paired with professional dancers to take on a range of ballroom dances that are performed live on TV, is the “only one” Munroe is interested in.
Speaking on the Make It Reign podcast, Munroe Bergdorf said: “I’ve always said that Strictly is the only one that I’ve got a desire to do.”
The model, who is an ambassador for trans kids charity Mermaids and whose debut book, Transitional, will be published in September, said they’ve got a plan to be Strictly’s first trans contestant.
“I’ve got a plan,” she said. “I want to get everything done that I want to achieve, then I can start doing those shows.
“It’s really exciting. I kind of feel that once you’re part of a reality TV show the general public starts shaping your narrative in a way that’s much more difficult for you to shape.
“So I don’t necessarily want to become public property in that way just yet.”
The BBC show’s first same-sex pairing came last season when lesbian boxer Nicola Adams and her partner Katya Jones made history by becoming the first competitive same-sex couple to take to the Strictly ballroom floor.
Despite warnings of a homophobic boycott by the likes of Ann Widdecombe, millions more tuned in to watch Nicola and Katya’s first dance – as well as the other 11 couples – than did the previous year, with the show scoring its best ratings for a first live show in years.
Adams and Jones were forced to drop out of the 2020 series of Strictly due to coronavirus but returned for one last dance in the 19 December finale – a sultry tango to the tune of Muse’s Feeling Good.
The romantic routine was a welcome change after previous criticism that the show was restricting them to tepid “gal pal” dances that painted them as “besties at the club”.
But it was all too much for some viewers, who took exception to what they saw as a “blatant projection of homosexuality” and complained to the broadcaster’s Executive Complaints Unit.
Fortunately, the BBC was having none of it.
A spokesperson did not confirm the number of complaints received in its latest report but stated that they were simply “not upheld” and will not be investigated any further, according to Metro.
