Strictly Come Dancing finalist and much loved former EastEnders star, Maisie Smith, will make her musical theatre debut later this year, as she co-stars in the UK tour of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical.

The musical, based on the award-winning global film phenomenon of the same name, inspired the creation behind the smash hit TV series Strictly Come Dancing.

And now, new for 2022/23, this all-singing, all-dancing show – directed by Craig Revel Horwood - is set to dazzle audiences once more with this glittering cast.

READ MORE: What is the route for the London Marathon 2022?

Kicking off in Portsmouth on September 26, the musical will then waltz around the UK, including showing at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley from October 3 until October 8.

This will be Maisie’s first time ever visiting the Bromley borough – and she’ll be doing so by taking the lead female role as Fran.

Maisie told the News Shopper: “I feel so good about being a part of the show.

“I think it's quite a change from what I've been used to doing - I'm very used to a quick pace - you learn the scene; you do the scene and then you never see the scene again.

“I get to do something slightly different every time we create something together and it’s been a nice process.

“The show is something I've never done before, but I’m absolutely loving it - it feels so natural.”

Maisie is set to take to the stage alongside her former Strictly dance partner, Kevin Clifton, who she waltzed her way to victory with in the Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Children In Need Special.

Strictly Ballroom the Musical tells the beguiling story of Scott Hastings, a talented and rebellious young ballroom dancer – played by former Strictly Come Dancing professional Kevin Clifton.

When Scott’s radical dance moves see him fall out of favour with the Australian Federation, he finds himself dancing with Fran (Maisie Smith), a beginner with no moves at all.

Inspired by one another, this unlikely pair gather the courage to defy both convention and their families – and discover that, to be winners, the steps don’t need to be strictly ballroom.

Maisie added: “There really is so much to the show – seeing the process come to life has been unbelievable.

“You get to see the love story unfold between the two main characters – the songs and dances are so powerful.”

Maisie told the News Shopper that she’s looking forward to performing the immense dance moves, with her favorites being the rumba, the paso doble and the flamenco dance.

Maisie’s most recent TV appearance has been on Channel 4, where she competed in the thrilling tv show SAS: Who Dares Wins.

She says her experience on the show was “mental” yet the best thing she has ever done.

She explained: “SAS was mental really when look back at it.

“It's the most amazing thing I've ever done, but watching it back made me remember how brutal it was.

“I'm quite lucky in the sense of don't have many fears, but what was brutal was the gas challenge they showed on episode one.

“We had to stand in a room full of gas and my body was burning, I wasn’t allowed to touch my face.

“I've never felt so strong and weak at the same time, it was it was crazy.

“The show really did push me to absolute limits.”

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