Strictly Come Dancing competitor Ricky Whittle has revealed that he faced so much racist bullying as a child, that he often wished he was white.
Whittle faced the worst of his bullying when his dad was stationed in an RAF base in Northern Ireland. He claimed that he “must have been one of the first black people in the whole country”.
Speaking to 1Xtra, he explained: “Growing up at that time, I didn’t want to be black because I was bullied and I’d tell my mum that I wanted to be white like everyone else at school.
Ricky Whittle has thrown his hat in the ring for the lead role in Dirty Dancing 4, if the movie is ever made.
The Strictly Come Dancer told The Sun: “Antonio Banderas is getting on and sadly Patrick Swayze has gone, so I could be the lead in Dirty Dancing 4. I’d love to do Patrick.
“I know Patrick wasn’t a black baldy but I would be willing to wear a dodgy wig.”
Ricky Whittle has admitted that working on Strictly Come Dancing and Hollyoaks at the same time, is much tougher than he expected.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Whittle explained: “I’m working 12 hour days filming Hollyoaks, then straight off to the studios in Liverpool with Natalie [Lowe] to rehearse until 11pm. I’m losing weight really fast because of all the exercise.”
He continued: “With Strictly I am mentally and physically knackered, everything aches. I knew it would be hard but I never thought it would be this tough.
Strictly Come Dancing star Ricky Whittle has admitted that he was a victim of racist bullying whilst he lived in Northern Ireland.
Ricky’s father was stationed at an RAF base in County Antrim for six years and Ricky found it hard growing up in a country with so few black people.
Whittle told Love It magazine: “I must have been one of the first black people in the whole country. I stood out from the other children at school. They had never seen a black kid before and that’s when the bullying began.
Strictly Come Dancing star, Ricky Whittle, has been talking about how self conscious the tight trousers on the show make him feel.
He told heat magazine: “I find small trousers a trouble. It was a bit embarrassing when I first had the trousers on. I’m a baggy jeans type of a guy. There’s tight, and then there’s sprayed on.”
He joked: “Without being crude, you could see what religion I am!
Former Hollyoaks star, Chris Fountain has been teasing his former co-star Ricky Whittle about his Strictly Come Dancing outfits.
Fountain told Whats On TV: “I have to watch [Strictly] because Ricky’s on there and Ali’s on there. They’re both like joint favourites now, I think.
“But I have been giving Ricky some abuse about his costumes, only because he did it to me when I did Dancing On Ice, so you’ve kind of got to do it. I said, ‘You’re doing really well mate but those shirts are horrendous, you’ve gotta sort it out’.”
Strictly Come Dancing contestant, Ricky Whittle, has defended new judge, Alesha Dixon.
Alesha has come under fire since the show premiered last weekend for being too bland and sitting on the fence with her critiques. However Ricky has branded her ‘fantastic’ and asked the viewers to give her a chance.
The Hollyoaks star told The Belfast Telegraph: “Like anything, no-one likes change, people get comfortable and don’t like things done differently.
Soap hunks Ricky Whittle and Craig Kelly are said to have developed an amicable rivalry, which sees each trying to outdo the other on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.
As the pair prepare for tomorrow night’s launch show Craig – who plays Luke Strong in Corrie – told The Sun:
“Ricky looks like he can move a bit and that’s keeping me on my toes.
“We are really enjoying the banter and a bit of healthy competition.”
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Claire King, has backed Hollyoaks Ricky Whittle to win this year’s series.
The former Emmerdale actress told BANG Showbiz: “You know – I still hold the record as the only woman who has never cried on the show.
“But I think this year the guy from Hollyoaks, Ricky, will win. They’re all going for Joe Calzaghe, but if I could pick anyone, I’d hope Richard Dunwoody wins, because I have a racing background.”
Ricky Whittle (Strictly Come Dancing partner is Natalie Lowe)
TV hunk and actor Ricky Whittle has set millions of teenage hearts racing with his role as Hollyoaks’ good boy turned bad, Calvin.
Before he caught the acting bug, Ricky was on the path to football stardom. But, despite being scouted by both Arsenal and Celtic, an injury ended any hopes he had to pursue a professional career and so he began a four-year law degree. Whilst there he began modelling, securing some high-profile campaigns and, after a successful audition for a TV drama, he decided to forego his career in the courts for one on screen.
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