Special fly past surprise for Fleur East on Hits Radio in Blackpool
Blindfolded and taken out to the Blackpool promenade, Fleur had no idea what she was about to see!
The Hits Radio Breakfast team were hosting their show this morning from the Strictly set at Blackpool’s Madame Tussauds ahead of Fleur’s appearance on the TV show tomorrow evening.
Co-hosts James Barr and Matt Haslam went the extra (Blackpool) mile by organising a very special fly past as part of their Vote Fleur campaign encouraging people to vote for Fleur this weekend!
When her blindfold was removed and she saw the banner high in the sky, Fleur was overwhelmed, she said: “No! Are you joking?! ‘Hits Radio Vote Fleur on Strictly’. How have you manged to do this it looks amazing! How did you pull this off?
“It looks so good guys I’m actually quite emotional. I don’t know if it’s the wind in my eye or I’m actually crying – you’re amazing, you absolutely smashed it. This is so cool.”
That wasn’t the only surprise for the Strictly contestant in the seaside town during her Breakfast Show this morning. Fleur was joined on air by fellow Hits Radio presenter Gemma Atkinson and good friend AJ Odudu.
Gemma revealed she was on her way to Blackpool but not for the reasons you might expect: “As soon as I’m dressed, I’m heading down to Blackpool,” she said. “But – and it’s quite embarrassing to say this because you’d think I was coming to support Fleur or Gorka – in reality I’m bring my daughter Mia to meet Will Mellor because that’s all she wants to do!
“I’m not sure why, because he’s never met him before, but he did a dance earlier in the series when he looked down the barrel of the camera and she just turned to me and said, ‘It’s made me giddy’!”
Last year AJ Odudu made it to the final with partner Kai but had to withdraw with an ankle injury, so he never got to dance at Blackpool. He said: “I’m so glad that Blackpool is back on Strictly! I don’t want to go on about it, but I did Strictly last year and didn’t get to go.
“The thing is I went every single year as a kid, and we still go every single year to the Blackpool Illuminations, but I don’t feel remotely jealous – I’m just excited that you’re there Fleur.”
On another note, despite the team’s best efforts, AJ remained tight-lipped over the rumours about him being a presenter on a revived Big Brother: “Another day, another rumour,” he joked. “What can I say other than it’s a rumour but who wouldn’t be excited to do it it’s the best show on the telly – or it’s about to be,” he teased.