It seems that actor turned Strictly Come Dancing contestant Colin Salmon has hitherto hidden ballroom dance abilities as his pro-dance partner Kristina Rihanoff says that Colin has, “a lot of potential and natural rhythm.”

Kristina added, “Colin is a great person to work with, he’s very, very smart, an intelligent guy.

“He’s very respectful, he listens to me and tries to do everything I ask.

“It’s hard work and he’s tried his very, very best from the beginning.

“He’s an actor so he obviously knows how to compose himself on stage and the floor so I hope it helps with the performance.

“But he is a beginner, so it’s one of those things when you really have to work hard and a lot to really develop his skills…

“However I see a lot of potential, because he has natural rhythm and a sort of grace, so I do hope that this is going to come across in his performance.”

But she added that his natural ability doesn’t mean he can rest on his laurels.

She said, “Louis [Smith] and Denise [Van Outen] have very strong public awareness, so they will perform well…

“There’s little Dani [Harmer] who is a great a dancer and Nicky [Byrne] from Westlife is definitely going to do well.”

And it seems she could well be right about Nicky because apparently, he’s doing so well in training that he’s been given the nickname, “Glitter balls!”

According to TV Biz, Nicky’s mother-in-law gave him the nickname, but it seems his ability on the dance floor has impressed his wife Georgina too, even though she has teased him over his figure hugging costumes.

Nicky said, “My wife is buzzing with excitement. She will come to all the shows — we are very much a team.

“Her sister, Cecelia, nicknamed me Glitterballs and now that’s the running joke in my family.

“I like to put a smile on their faces.”

He added, “After seeing my first dance, Georgina could not stop laughing for ten minutes

“She told me, ‘Seriously, you need to change your style’.

“And when I watched myself afterwards, I was like, ‘Oh no!’ I had Cuban heels with ankle socks and shorts! My legs looked so white.

“I am not sure I am ready for fake tan yet but everyone tells me the wall does come down eventually.

“I guess a lick of paint is not the worst thing in the world.”

We will of course see both Colin and Nicky performing for the first time when the Strictly live shows begin on Friday.