A dream ballroom dance for Georgia

Now actress Georgia May Foote is heading to Blackpool for the latest round in Strictly Come Dancing.

Best known as Katy Armstrong in Coronation Street, the Bury-born 24-year-old left the cobbles earlier this year, when her on-screen mum Linda – played by Blackpool actress Jacqueline Leonard – arrived from Portugal to rebuild their relationship.

Since starting Strictly, her performances have been steadily improving, to see her notch up the series’ highest score so far on Saturday night, with her Chicago-themed Charleston scoring 39 points from the judges.

But she’s been staying close to her roots, spending the start of the week back at home in Bury and training in Manchester, before travelling to London each Wednesday for rehearsals and the weekend broadcast.

“It’s nice to be able to have a cup of tea at home at the end of the day, on your own couch and in your own bed,” she said of the long training days with professional partner and Strictly newcomer Giovanni Pernice.

And like any good northern girl, Georgia’s had her fair share of days out in the resort.

“Over the summer, we have our trips to the Pleasure Beach with friends, and my family have a caravan so we used to go to Lytham and St Annes with that.

“Blackpool has always been somewhere I’d go for a fun day out.”

But it’ll be more like all work and no play this time, as cast and crew head for the Tower to broadcast live on Saturday night in a highlight of the Strictly experience.

“To be able to even go in the Tower Ballroom, and dance on that floor will be phenomenal; it would be legendary and something I can say about in the future,” Georgia said. “It’s a bit of a dream come true.”

Georgia attended Blackpool Rocks, the winter dance music festival, last December.

“It was the first time I’d been in the ballroom,” she said. “And I remember thinking: ‘Imagine dancing there, doing a beautiful ballroom number’.”

So is that a clue to what she’ll be dancing on Saturday night?

“I don’t want to jinx myself for next week,” she said, speaking ahead of Saturday’s leaderboard-topping routine at the Elstree Strictly studio. “But I can say it will be ballroom and traditional.”

Indeed it will – the BBC last night confirmed she will perform a Viennese Waltz- based American Smooth.

While many of the Strictly professional dancers have Blackpool in their blood, Georgia’s pro, newcomer Giovanni has – unusually – never competed in the resort, so she’ll be showing him the ropes, between rehearsals.

“He doesn’t understand why Strictly, and the Blackpool show in particular, is so big in England,” she said. “So I’m telling him ‘This is where it’s from, Blackpool is the home of it’.

“We are going to be so busy training, but if we can get out, I’ll get him some Blackpool Rock – aniseed – which is my favourite.”

Strictly Come Dancing broadcasts live from Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Saturday at 6.50pm, with the results show on Sunday at 7.15pm.