IF you had asked any Strictly fan who would become this year’s heartthrob contestant, they could have been forgiven for not naming a 61-year-old Yorkshire dog trainer.
But over the past six weeks , host of TV pet obedience series , has won over the nation with his down-to-earth nature and can-do attitude.
Before he took to the dance floor in September, many predicted he was destined to become this year’s Strictly novelty act, following in the footsteps of and John Sergeant.
But Graeme, alongside his pro dance partner , has more than proved his doubters wrong, with an impressive start to the One contest that has propelled him into the top half of the leaderboard.
“That’s partly why we called ourselves Team Underdog,” said Graeme in an exclusive interview.
“There is almost a caricature of a gentleman of a certain age on who becomes the joker figure.
“I just thought, ‘Right, I’ve got to really listen to Lauren, get the technique right and show them I can actually dance to some extent’.”
Over the past few weeks, time and time again Graeme has shown he is not to be underestimated. He is also not too proud to play the game and whack on a wig or silly costume to make the nation smile.
He said: “Always under-promise and over-deliver. I’d hate to be Team Top Dog — that would not do at all. I’ve never been that kind of person.
“Amusingly, I suppose, because of the job I do, every now and again people have described me as a top dog. I hate it. I’m not that arrogant.
“I like keeping the fun in there and I’d like to think it’s pretty obvious how much I’m enjoying myself when I do it, but there is also a serious side to this.
“The waltz week, when it was The Godfather, was great because it was a gear change.”
I first met Graeme backstage at Elstree Studios in Herts during Icons Week, when he was dressed as legend Björn Ulvaeus — complete with a questionable wig.
As I chatted to him and his partner, worker Nikki Worth, what struck me was how refreshingly normal he is.
Born in Selby, North Yorks, and now living in Banbury, Oxfordshire, the former Weetabix management consultant has not grown up around the rich and famous.
After being made redundant from Weetabix in 2007, Graeme decided to set up a dog-training business.
It was a success, and snapped him up for a one-off special, Dogs Behaving Badly, in 2017.
It led to the current series, which has been shown on since 2019 and has sparked multiple spin-off shows.
As for Strictly, Graeme said: “I’ve discovered that I really like a live audience. I just think they want you to do well.
“You know, when you walk out, you just feel the love from people.
“It’s great. I suppose it depends whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist to some extent. I’ve always been an optimist.”
After a full-on day of working on his Strictly routine, rather than collapsing in a heap as soon as he gets home, Graeme finds he takes the contest with him — and has Nikki helping him with rehearsals late at night.
He said: “There’s a little bit in our routine that repeats, that you can pretty much teach anybody.
“It’s great fun. I taught Nikki that bit. There’s another thing called a samba roll — it mainly involves me dragging her around the living room. It’s all good fun.”
The couple have been together five years — and Graeme laughs at the idea he will impress her with his abs after months of the infamous “Strictly Shred” fitness routine.
He said: “There’s definitely a six-pack there, Jack — it’s just a bit padded at the moment. It’s not entirely visible, but I’m sure there’s one in there.
What I noticed is my thighs. I can feel definition in the different parts of the quads.
“Honestly, there is nothing like dancing for fitness.
“My diet though mainly involves custard creams — which is not necessarily what a nutritionist would say.
“Look, you do have to fuel it. Yesterday I checked my fitness band and I’d done 11,000 steps and it was 4,000 calories expended.”
Laughing, he added: “I do have a biscuit break when I deserve it — it’s a bit like dog training.
“In terms of the body, I’m 61, so by a long shot I’m the oldest celeb. But the body seems to be adapting quite well, so that’s good news.
“You do have to look after yourself, though. It’s relentless.”
The fact that Graeme has even made it to the dance floor is remarkable. In 2019 he had surgery after a , and surgeons discovered a 13mm hole in his heart.
He said: “I’m one of the lucky ones. I had a stroke and everything kind of stopped for a while until I figured out what I was going to do next.
“I recovered fully from the stroke, but there was a worry that it would happen again.
“After a lot of investigation, they discovered this hole in the heart. It means a blood clot can go from one side of the heart through to the other and up to the brain, and that’s what happened to me.”
He added: “The hole was the size of your little finger, probably.
“The surgeon said he’d done about a thousand of those operations, and you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he’d seen one quite that big.
“But I was one of the lucky ones who lived to tell the tale — and now I’m dancing again.”
About 20 to 25 per cent of people live with the condition, what medics call a patent foramen ovale, but are unaware.
Keen to help raise awareness among Sun readers, Graeme said: “I had no warning of that stroke, but it’s the classic things to look out for, like cholesterol levels and blood pressure. If the doctor says you need a regular check-up, go and don’t put it off, as there are things that can prevent it.”
Since week one of Strictly, Graeme has become an , amassing a strong fanbase online.
He appears baffled when I tell him he has turned into a pin-up among a new generation. He said: “It’s lovely to be somebody’s favourite — housewives, househusbands or whoever. I take that as a massive compliment.”
Tonight he and Lauren will go all out in the costume department as they transform into zombies to perform a samba to Coconut by Harry Nilsson.
Looking ahead to the rest of the competition, he is determined to enjoy every second, and said: “Even after all these weeks I’m still having pinch-me moments — mainly on the studio floor.
“I see the Strictly logo, and the band strikes up with that tune. It’s amazing — me, here, doing this.
“I just do my best every week. Let’s see where it takes us, eh?”
