Each week on Dancing With the Stars, comedian Fred Cooke gives his all to his performances, delighting audiences with his expressive dancing and - as they say in the industry - really selling the act.
Whether he's a matador tempting danger with a bombastic routine or paying homage to the King of Pop, Fred is living every fantasy on that stage.
That said, the stand-up comedian isn't immune to pre-show jitters, as while stand up is his playing field, dance is a new territory. "This is completely different and I’m more nervous doing this", he told RTÉ Lifestyle on Sunday night. "I’ve been doing stand up maybe 10 years full time."
"Dancing on this show feels like you know when you’re at a party and everyone’s in a circle and everyone takes turns dancing in the middle? Well, it’s like that, only the circle is Ireland! And Ireland’s looking at you every Sunday night."
"But full of positivity", he adds. "The more negative the judges are, the more positive it is back on the streets the next day, like. The streets, that’s where I roll! Go back to the hood of Kells, the streets, high-fiving cattle," he joked.
Competitive dancing is worlds away, physically, from stand up, where the most acrobatic a performer often gets is in witty jabs or countering a heckler. On whether the fitness element of DWTS has been intense, Fred said "It is tiring, but I’ve found that my body became accustomed to it."
"It’s funny now that 9 o’clock for me is a lie-in it’s great because in the stand-up circuit sleep is so irregular. You can sleep until 9pm and arrive half an hour later and do your gig!"
There was an added pressure last week as Switch Up week meant that dancers were paired with new professional partners, requiring even more work to adapt to new teaching styles and new dynamics. Paired with Emily Barker rather than Guilia Dotta, Fred wasn't daunted in the slightest, neither by the new challenge nor by Emily's reputation for being strict.
"Everyone thought she must be intense because Johnny works so hard but ... It was great fun and she pushed me to do the best that I could, so it was great."
For more from Fred, and to hear where he's been getting his most surprising dance advice, click the video above!
