When Sarah Hadland was partnered up with Vito Coppola on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, she knew she’d ‘lucked out’ with the reigning champion. Now, with the series fully underway, the actress tells heat she remains overwhelmed at just what a blummin’ delight Vito is.
‘He’s got me drinking his Italian coffee, just a very little cup,’ the 53 year old says, putting on a hilarious (and surprisingly accurate) Italian accent as she impersonates her pro partner.
‘At lunchtime, he puts a little napkin out and spreads his food out on it. Today, he has some home-grown tomatoes, and he said, “Have a home-grown tomato – it will lift your spirits, because it’s the food of sunshine.” I’m like, “How great is this?”’
Pretty damn excellent, by the sounds of things. Sarah, who is best known for playing Miranda Hart’s best friend Stevie in the BBC sitcom Miranda, wowed the judges in week one with her light-as-air Quickstep, and dug into her moody side last weekend with the Paso Doble.
As a comedy actor, Sarah naturally found the dark and dramatic side harder to tap into. ‘I get quite giggly,’ she admits. ‘Vito looks like this Italian, carved-from-stone god, and then there’s me scurrying along next to him looking like a cross hamster.’
Sarah has danced onstage before, in musicals such as Cats and Noises Off, but insists the skills are completely different. ‘I got away with murder, because what I lacked in technique I made up for in enthusiasm and energy and confidence,’ she says. ‘I’ve quickly learned that you don’t want that for ballroom or Latin, because everything’s very controlled and precise.’
Above all, however, Sarah is a Strictly super-fan, who admits that if she wasn’t on the series she’d be discussing it in her various Strictly WhatsApp groups. ‘That’s why I think I’ve held out for so long from doing it,’ she says. ‘It’s a double-edged thing, isn’t it? If you’re a massive fan of something, you think, I hope it lives up to what I hope it’s going to be.’ So far, however, ‘It’s been everything I could have possibly dreamed of’.
Supporting her along the way are a bevy of actor pals, from Andrew Scott to Sian Gibson. Russell Tovey has promised to come along to a live show to cheer Sarah on – as have her Miranda co-stars Sally Phillips and Patricia Hodge.
What about Miranda herself? Well she’s busy with work commitments right now, but Sarah jokes, ‘She’s like, “Please, can you stay in until November so I can come?”’
Given her track record so far, we reckon she’s got a good chance.