Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha resists the urge to gossip with MICHELLE TOMPKINS

AN avowed Strictly fan, there were two burning questions I wanted – no, needed – to ask Pasha Kovalev: which of his celebrity dance partners did he really like the best, and is everyone horribly catty behind the scenes?

Pasha, it turns out, is a professional in more than just the dance sense, neatly side-stepping my questions with measured generosity.

“All three of my partners to date have been so easy to work with – it’s impossible to pick a favourite,” he says, in that wonderful Russian accent.

“Chelsee [Healey, the actress and finalist in 2011] probably had the most natural talent. Sometimes we only had three hours a day to rehearse but somehow she always managed to pull it off.

“Kimberley [Walsh, one fifth of Girls Aloud and finalist in 2012] had a natural stage presence though. I probably see her more than any of the others, working with her on her music videos.

“And Rachel [Riley, Countdown boffin and knocked out in week six last year] was the most determined of all.

“She was an unstoppable machine, working through lunch and dinner to try to get things right.

“They all had that sparkle in their eye and that desire to get better. I have been very, very lucky.

“On Strictly, we really are one big family. We are all in the same boat, going through the same thing with the same goal – to win.

“It’s a big pressure, coming up with a brand new dance each week, and the professional dancers all help one another whenever they can. It’s a comfortable crowd and we are all friends.”

Hmmmm, no gossip there then. Perhaps I should let this most professional of professionals tell me about his new show then. That is, after all, the reason we are talking.

Pasha and former fellow Strictly Come Dancing pro Katya Virshilas visit Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre for three nights later this month with their own dance show, which showcases a mixture of styles familiar to the many fans of the TV hit. This is the third tour the pair have put together and this one promises even more audience participation, not to mention more sequins.

“We try to include a lot of the themes that you see on the TV, but in a more cosy, easy-to-digest format,” says Pasha, 34, who was born in Siberia and has been dancing since he was eight.

“We know that when people are watching at home they like to think they can get up and give it go, so we encourage that in our show.

“We love a bit of audience participation. Last year, we gave everyone a skirt and cape and made them matadors in a paso doble.

“It’s great fun and goes down very well.

“It’s very much a family show, with music everyone will recognise and sparkly costumes – lots of sparkly costumes.”

The stage show helps fills the downtime between series of Strictly, although Pasha won’t find out if he’s a part of Season 12 until late May or early June.

The decision is out of his hands as the producers match confirmed celebrities with the dancers available.

Hoping for some inside info, I ask if he has a dream partner, someone in the public eye he’d love to find himself teaching for the next series?

“I don’t idolise anyone in that way, so that’s really difficult to answer,” he says.

“We never have any say in which celebrity we are given anyway – it’s a completely wild card – so it’s pointless hoping for one person or the other.

“Whoever it might be, the challenge is to find out what that person has to offer and to bring out the best in them.”

And it’s polished answers like that that mean you’ll almost certainly see Pasha back on your screen later this year.

  • An Evening with the Stars of Strictly, starring Pasha Kovalev and Katya Virshilas is at the Wyvern Theatre from Monday, April 14 to Wednesday, April 16 . Tickets are £24 from wyverntheatre.org.uk or call 01793 524481.