0:00:02 > 0:00:04Coming up, it's time to get your dancing shoes on
0:00:04 > 0:00:05and hit the dance floor...
0:00:05 > 0:00:08as the twinkled-toed stars of Strictly Come Dancing
0:00:08 > 0:00:10remember the year they were 12.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I was teased at school, because everyone thought I wore mascara.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Occasionally, I got... I looked like a girl.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I used to watch these amateur dancers on television and think,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23"I want to be on TV, dancing, doing what I love!"
0:00:23 > 0:00:26- SHE LAUGHS - That's sad, isn't it?
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Want to know more? Well...
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been
0:00:33 > 0:00:37best mates your favourite celebs when they were your age?
0:00:37 > 0:00:38What did they get up to?
0:00:38 > 0:00:40What were their favourite songs?
0:00:40 > 0:00:42And what TV shows did they watch?
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Because, despite the glamorous lifestyles they now lead,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48once they were a 12-year-old kid, just like you.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52In this dance-tastic special we'll tango back in time
0:00:52 > 0:00:55with the Strictly team as they become... 12 again.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03They're some of the world's most famous professional dancers,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06battling it out to win the Strictly Come Dancing crown.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I have my goal set to hold that trophy.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Who knows what will happen?
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Standing between them and the Strictly title
0:01:13 > 0:01:17are weeks of hard graft and the fearsome Strictly judges.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20The top line I thought was hideously rigid.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Good effort, but not good result.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25They're kings and queens of the dance floor now.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28But back when they were kids, they were only starting out
0:01:28 > 0:01:31on the road to dancing superstardom.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34So let's waltz back in time and find out what our dancing divas
0:01:34 > 0:01:36were like when they were 12.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I would say I was a very good 12 year old.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I was a bit of a saint, I think.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48When I was 12 years old, I used to get embarrassed very easy,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and go very red.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54When I was 12, I had longish hair because that was fashionable
0:01:54 > 0:01:56in 1977.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59I had very long, black eyelashes and I was teased at school
0:01:59 > 0:02:02because everyone thought I wore mascara, and I didn't.
0:02:02 > 0:02:08I was quite fiery... and, I would say outgoing, then.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13I think I've mellowed a bit more and I'm a bit more shy now.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15The one thing I always remember about being 12 is having
0:02:15 > 0:02:18loads of fake tan on my face every Monday
0:02:18 > 0:02:21when I went to school after a competition.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I was always at the forefront of fashion. Ha-ha-ha-ha!
0:02:24 > 0:02:27It was the late '60s.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It was very colourful, fashion.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I had kind of bouffy hair.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Kind of big, I suppose.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36HE LAUGHS
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Occasionally, I got... I looked like a girl.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I used to overdo the eyeliner.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44It was sort of that experimental stage.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I look back now and know it was far too much,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49but when I was 12, I thought it was cool.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I had really long, curly hair.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54I was really skinny...
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and I had bow-legged legs,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and my brother used to always tease me and call me "Chicken Legs".
0:03:01 > 0:03:04So that's what our Strictly celebs looked like
0:03:04 > 0:03:07when they were 12 - but how was school for them when they had
0:03:07 > 0:03:11bouffy hair, overdone eyeliner and were plastered with fake tan?
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Because I was quite successful as a dancer as a child, my peers
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and schoolmates were really proud of what I did
0:03:17 > 0:03:21and I was always in the paper and bringing my trophies into school.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24I was very lucky, I never got anybody take the Mickey for being a
0:03:24 > 0:03:28ballroom dancer, because back then, a ballroom dancer was quite daggy.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I went to a very sporty high school. If you were very sporty,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37you got to wear the grey jumper instead of the dark blue one,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and the grey one was... everyone who was cool wore the grey ones.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- So I did. I was in the netball team...- Right, OK.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- ..the soccer team, which you call "football"...- OK.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- ..the gymnastics team...- Ow!
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- ..the basketball team...- Get out!
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- ..the trampolining team...- Mm-hm. - ..the rhythmical gymnastics team,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- a swimming team...- Is there a team you weren't on?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- I did them all...- Oh!- ..because I sort of wanted this grey jumper.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01There you have it. The tale of the grey jumper!
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Sadly, not everyone had such a great time at school,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and for some of our Strictly celebs it could be pretty lonely.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I hated school. I don't think too many people want to be friends
0:04:14 > 0:04:16with the ballroom dancer.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19HE LAUGHS I know - it's very sad.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25I don't think someone that goes ballroom and Latin dancing,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28in my day, was ever going to be one of the cool kids -
0:04:28 > 0:04:33cos it wasn't look upon as a cool thing to do in those days.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36So girls weren't really that interested in me at school.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Brendan didn't suffer from shyness with girls quite like James did.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44My first kiss? Yeah, I remember that.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45A couple of girls at school I remember.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47One's name was Belinda, on school camp.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50There were two of them. It was great! Not at the same time!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53One was named Michelle, at the start of the camp.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55We didn't get on that well at the end of the camp -
0:04:55 > 0:04:57then it was Belinda, something like that!
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Thanks for clearing that up, Romeo!
0:05:00 > 0:05:03So, was there one moment in their schooldays when our Strictly
0:05:03 > 0:05:06stars realised that their destiny was to dance?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11All the guys at my school, at Granville Boys' High School,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15were learning to dance, like in the playground.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18MUSIC: "Summer Nights" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
0:05:18 > 0:05:19# Summer lovin', had me a blast... #
0:05:19 > 0:05:23There was films, like Grease, of course, had just come out.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26MUSIC: "Grease Lightning" by John Travolta
0:05:26 > 0:05:28# Grease Lightning Go, Grease Lightning! #
0:05:28 > 0:05:33It was cool for boys to be getting in there, giving it a groove.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Everyone was learning all the John Travolta moves.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41That's really why I fell in love with dance, I suppose.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47When I was 12, I was a serious swimmer,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and my best stroke was breaststroke.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I used to enjoy that a lot more than dancing
0:05:53 > 0:05:58and I did ballroom dancing and Latin dancing.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I used to enjoy it, but it was just as a hobby.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07I wanted to be a builder. I didn't think about dancing as a career.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10It was just something I did along with everything else I did.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14There was a couple of competitions which were shown on TV.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18And I said to my mum, "I want to do that, I want to dance like that."
0:06:18 > 0:06:22And eventually I got my mum to sign me up to, like, dances classes
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and that's how I started.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27I used to come home and practice a lot at home.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31I used to have slippers which I used to dance in,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and my mum said they were so worn out, because I was just dancing
0:06:35 > 0:06:37all the time at home.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I've always loved to dance, but there was a turning point,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and it actually was when I was 12 years old.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45I did my first open competition. And I won everything.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49And that was the moment where I said to myself,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51"You're going to make a career out of this."
0:06:52 > 0:06:55So that's what our dancing divas were up to when they were 12,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58but what tunes were they jiving along to?
0:06:58 > 0:07:04I was a massive, massive Michael Jackson fan.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07MUSIC: "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson
0:07:07 > 0:07:11When I was 12, one of the massive hits was Bryan Adams,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Everything I Do, I Do For You.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18# Everything I do I do it for you... #
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Dire Straits, Money for Nothing.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25# That ain't working That's the way you do it
0:07:25 > 0:07:29# Money for nothing And your chicks for free... #
0:07:29 > 0:07:31For me, the Spice Girls.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33MUSIC: "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls
0:07:33 > 0:07:34# So tell me what you want
0:07:34 > 0:07:36# What you really, really want
0:07:37 > 0:07:41# So tell me what you want What you really, really want
0:07:41 > 0:07:42# I wanna, I wanna, I wanna
0:07:42 > 0:07:44# I really, really, really want Zig-a-zig-a... #
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Sad, isn't it? SHE LAUGHS
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Stay tuned to hear more Strictly stars ruin more pop songs later.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Now, when Robin was 12, in 1991, he was getting some divine
0:07:56 > 0:08:01inspiration from the godmother of modern pop.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Like A Prayer, from Madonna, was one of my favourite tracks.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07# Life is a mystery... #
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Incorporating elements of gospel music, and with a religious theme,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Like A Prayer is the title track from Madonna's fourth album.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19At the time, it topped the charts in both the US and the UK.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Today, it's regarded as a pop masterpiece.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32I used to like the video but a lot of people at the time didn't,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36because Madonna, as always, was ahead of her time...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38very controversial.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41But I thought she was brave and it's people like that who inspire you
0:08:41 > 0:08:43to do things a little outside the box.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Robin's right. The video did offend some religious groups
0:08:46 > 0:08:49because of its use of Christian imagery.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51So much so that the Pope encouraged people
0:08:51 > 0:08:53not to go to Madonna concerts in Italy.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55But for Robin, it's always been a cracking tune,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57pure and simple.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Anything that starts slow and then kicks into a beat,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04it's a great way to choreograph something to,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06because you can start all slow and sensual...
0:09:06 > 0:09:08# Heaven help me... #
0:09:08 > 0:09:10..rip off the costume
0:09:10 > 0:09:13with something fabulous underneath and then shake your tushy away.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Oh, madam!
0:09:15 > 0:09:17# I wanna take you there... #
0:09:17 > 0:09:20# It's like a prayer I'll take you there
0:09:20 > 0:09:24# It's like a dream to me Oh-woh-woh-woh. #
0:09:24 > 0:09:29And there we have it - another pop classic ruined.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Whilst Madonna was massive from the '80s onwards,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39back in the '70s there was one band
0:09:39 > 0:09:41that were getting the whole world dancing.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46And especially one 12-year-old boy in Sydney.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I absolutely loved Abba when I was 12.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Hailing from snowy Sweden,
0:09:53 > 0:09:59Abba were Benny, Bjorn, Anni-Frid and Agnetha - she's the blonde one.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02They first became famous in 1974
0:10:02 > 0:10:05after winning the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Pop-tastic pantaloons, Agnetha!
0:10:11 > 0:10:16# Waterloo, promise to love you for ever more... #
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Abba are one of the most successful pop acts ever. They have sold
0:10:20 > 0:10:24nearly 400 million records. That's a fair few more than even Madonna.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26And, to this day, they still sell
0:10:26 > 0:10:28more than two million records a year.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Not bad for a band that broke up in 1982.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35# Waterloo Finally facing my Waterloo. #
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Abba actually came to Australia
0:10:38 > 0:10:42and they had an album called Arrival and it was huge.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46I just remember it, the four of them in front of this big helicopter.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50My favourite number, darling - Dancing Queen.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53# Digging the dancing queen
0:10:53 > 0:10:56# Young and sweet only seventeen... #
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I was spinning round, doing gypsy turns.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02I still love it and I can never get bored of it.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06# Dancing queen Feel the beat from the tambourine
0:11:06 > 0:11:09# Oh, yeah
0:11:09 > 0:11:17# You can dance, you can jive Having the time of your life
0:11:17 > 0:11:21# Oooh, see that girl Watch that scene
0:11:21 > 0:11:23# Dig it, the dancing queen. #
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I think I got all of the words wrong but still.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29I think you got all the notes wrong.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31At least you're better than Robin.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36In 1960s Italy when Bruno was 12,
0:11:36 > 0:11:37he was listening to a song
0:11:37 > 0:11:39by The Rolling Stones.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I remember my first record I ever bought
0:11:42 > 0:11:47was a cover version of Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52# I see a red door and I want to paint it black. #
0:11:52 > 0:11:54In the 1960s, British rock group
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The Rolling Stones were about as cool as it gets.
0:11:58 > 0:12:04Imagine One Direction and JLS combined and you're half way there.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07They released Paint It Black in 1966
0:12:07 > 0:12:11and it went on to be number one in both the UK and the USA.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15But in Italy, Bruno was not listening to the original. Oh, no.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It had been translated into Italian.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22In Italy we used to get all the British songs picked up
0:12:22 > 0:12:25by an Italian artist and then sung in Italian.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31# Da quando so che non potrai piu ritornare... #
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Her name was Caterina Caselli. I still remember.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36You never forget, it's like your first love,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38you know, your first single. Paint It Black.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44- A-hem.- No, don't sing! Not Paint it black. Don't ruin this classic!
0:12:44 > 0:12:49# Di notte il cielo senza stelle e tutto nero. #
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I remember.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54That's pop song number four ruined.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56What is it with these dancers?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58At least back in 1994 Karen confined
0:12:58 > 0:13:00her singing to the bathroom.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04When I was 12, I loved Paula Abdul. She was fantastic.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07My favourite song was Opposites Attract.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11# I take two steps forward Take two steps back
0:13:11 > 0:13:15# We come together cos opposites attract... #
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I would take my cassette player into the bathroom and
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I would become Paula Abdul in the shower.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It was just really energetic and really fun and I love the fact that
0:13:28 > 0:13:32she's a dancer as well so I was able to copy some of her dance moves.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35# Two steps forward I'll take two steps back... #
0:13:35 > 0:13:37It may seem totally normal now,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40but at the time this video was ground-breaking and won
0:13:40 > 0:13:44a Grammy award for its use of animation alongside Paula.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48# We come together cos opposites attract. #
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I thought it was fabulous that she was dancing next to a cartoon
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and I was like, "How do they do that? "Is that cartoon really there?"
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Still to come, we find out what our dancing superstars were
0:14:03 > 0:14:05watching when they were 12.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I would be glued in front of the TV.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It was the best half an hour of my week.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16I remember vividly the commentary because it was terrible.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23It is one of my favourite, favourite movies.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26But first, the stars of Strictly Come Dancing are not just
0:14:26 > 0:14:29the best in the UK, they've been hand picked
0:14:29 > 0:14:33from the creme de la creme of the dancing world.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36I grew up in Auckland, New Zealand which is the biggest
0:14:36 > 0:14:38sort of city in New Zealand.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44New Zealand has a lot more space than here.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48The climate is slightly warmer
0:14:48 > 0:14:51so you have an opportunity to stay outside for longer
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and to run around.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Erin's not the only New Zealander to be strutting her stuff
0:14:56 > 0:14:59on the Strictly Come Dancing stage this year.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05New Zealand is very open. It's a beautiful country. The cities are
0:15:05 > 0:15:08much the same I suppose but we have probably a bit more land
0:15:08 > 0:15:11around the houses, a few more trees in the actual cities.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14The roads are wider. Everything's wider, everything's more spacious.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18So let's get this right - New Zealand is beautiful,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21the sun is warmer, there are more trees
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and there's lots of space to run around.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27So what are you two doing in the UK with our crowded cities
0:15:27 > 0:15:29and terrible, rainy weather?
0:15:29 > 0:15:33OK, to be fair, New Zealand is pretty stunning, and its natural
0:15:33 > 0:15:35beauty has won it many fans in the film industry.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The country is used as a location for Middle Earth in both
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42In neighbouring Australia
0:15:42 > 0:15:45when Craig was 12 in 1977, he was
0:15:45 > 0:15:48getting a bit on the stinky side.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49When I was 12,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I was living in Sydney and Sydney is very humid,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56it's very hot so when you got to school it's very sweaty.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59We had absolutely no air conditioning at our school, so you'd sit
0:15:59 > 0:16:06in your classroom and be really, you know, pongy and sweaty and horrible
0:16:06 > 0:16:11but we wore little shorts, we wore little ties and summer outfits.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12Oh, isn't he adorable?
0:16:16 > 0:16:19But whilst Craig was sweltering in the heat of Sydney,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22when Karen was 12 in 1994 she was still getting used to
0:16:22 > 0:16:25the cold winters of her new home in the USA.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I originally come from Venezuela.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30It was warm and I had my family around.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34We moved to New York when I was eight years old. It was a new country.
0:16:34 > 0:16:40It was cold and I'm wearing a jacket that I feel like Frosty The Snowman
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and, you know, it felt like I didn't have that many friends
0:16:43 > 0:16:47cos I didn't speak English and I felt lonely.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Growing up in Poland,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Ola was no stranger to cold winters either.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55But there were other hardships to be faced there too.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I had a lovely childhood,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03but my country was quite grey and dark really when I was younger
0:17:03 > 0:17:06because there was communism when I was born
0:17:06 > 0:17:11so Poland was struggling through the years.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13I just remember a small bit of communism
0:17:13 > 0:17:18cos obviously it was getting better while I was growing up.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Communism is a political system that dominated the former
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Soviet Union, run by Russia, as well as Eastern European
0:17:25 > 0:17:29countries like Poland, for much of the 20th century.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Under communist rule, governments owned things like shops,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34businesses and farms.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36They didn't allow free elections
0:17:36 > 0:17:41and kept a very close eye on what the media was allowed to say.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43When Ola was growing up in the 1980s, Poland went through
0:17:43 > 0:17:46some serious economic problems.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Food was rationed and queuing for hours to buy even the basics
0:17:50 > 0:17:51was commonplace.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54There was just nothing in the shops.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56My mum couldn't just go to the shop and buy me a Barbie doll
0:17:56 > 0:17:59or clothes or anything like that.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03They had to get up at five o'clock in the morning to start queuing
0:18:03 > 0:18:05because they brought in meat in a shop.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10So it was quite hard. I think it was quite hard on my mum and dad.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Communism ended in Poland more than 20 years ago now
0:18:14 > 0:18:16and the country's gone on to become
0:18:16 > 0:18:19one of Europe's most successful economies.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24When Flavia was 12 she was spending
0:18:24 > 0:18:26her holidays living la dolce vita
0:18:26 > 0:18:28in her homeland of Italy.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I'm Italian. I was born in Italy.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Both my parents are Italian, from Naples.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I moved to England just before I turned five.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39I used to go back to Italy quite a lot,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41when I was about 12 actually.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I would actually go for the whole of the school holidays.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Naples. It's an incredibly interesting city.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57It's quite dangerous but that's what makes it quite exciting as well.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01It's one of those towns were you've got to, you know, watch yourself.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06What Flavia is talking about is the Mafia - a criminal organisation
0:19:06 > 0:19:10that operates in parts of Italy.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Naples is a stronghold of a branch of the Mafia known as the Camorra.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The Camorra get involved in all sorts of crime, even controlling
0:19:17 > 0:19:20some of the companies that collect rubbish in Naples and have
0:19:20 > 0:19:25been blamed for leaving huge piles of stinky stuff all over town.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27The Italian government has been trying to
0:19:27 > 0:19:29weaken the influence of the Camorra,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and for most visitors they aren't an issue.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35For Flavia, as for many, Naples will always be great place
0:19:35 > 0:19:36to spend a holiday.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39It's beautiful, it's absolutely beautiful.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I don't remember going there once and the sun not shining.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Still to come, we speak to our Strictly Celebs and ask them
0:19:46 > 0:19:50what they would say to their 12-year-old selves.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53I had my first kiss when I was 12 and I kissed him and I ran away.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I think I would kiss him proper.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00If you love something, whether it be a sport, whether it be dancing,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04whether it be playing a musical instrument, follow that dream.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Follow your heart and don't be discouraged.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12But first, what were our bevy of ballroom beauties watching
0:20:12 > 0:20:14on telly when they were 12?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17EastEnders was one of the shows I remember watching
0:20:17 > 0:20:19sort of with my family.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24My mum used to absolutely love the theme tune.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30I remember her singing it or humming it every time it came on and
0:20:30 > 0:20:32she always used to say, "I love this tune."
0:20:32 > 0:20:34I'm like, "What are you thinking?"
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It's a classic tune, Flavia.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42I remember the days of Bruce Forsyth presenting the Generation Game.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Nice to see you, to see you...
0:20:44 > 0:20:46AUDIENCE: Nice!
0:20:46 > 0:20:47And he's still saying that now.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Long before presenting Strictly, Sir Bruce Forsyth fronted
0:20:50 > 0:20:52the Generation Game...
0:20:52 > 0:20:54What's funny about that?
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- LAUGHTER - I haven't said anything yet.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58..one of the best-loved Saturday night shows ever,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00pairing up different generations of
0:21:00 > 0:21:04the same family and chucking them into crazy competitions.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07There was two couples and they were doing little competitions
0:21:07 > 0:21:10all the way throughout the show.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Some of them were learning to dance so it was quite funny to watch
0:21:14 > 0:21:15and I loved it.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Silly dancing was a pretty big element of the Generation Game.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31But for anyone more serious about dance
0:21:31 > 0:21:34there was only one show on television worth watching.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37From a very young age I used to be watching it
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and I think it was around seven o'clock on a Thursday night
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and I would be glued in front of the TV.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46It was the best half an hour of my week.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51So, what was this mystery show that was mesmerising our young Robin?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Come Dancing.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57- Come Dancing.- Come Dancing.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I absolutely loved Come Dancing.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Hm, snazzy titles.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02As any young ballroom dancer would know,
0:22:02 > 0:22:08Come Dancing was the ultimate dancing show that was on television.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and, once again,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13a very warm welcome from the Tower Ballroom
0:22:13 > 0:22:18here in Blackpool for this, the 40th anniversary series of Come Dancing.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Come Dancing is the show that inspired Strictly Come Dancing.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It was one of the longest-running shows on UK television
0:22:28 > 0:22:32and was on air between 1949 and 1998.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37It featured teams of amateur dancers from across the UK -
0:22:37 > 0:22:41no celebs here - competing for a coveted Come Dancing trophy.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43One of the differences between the current show
0:22:43 > 0:22:47and Come Dancing was the slightly questionable commentary.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Michael Habergham and Rachel Simpson have been
0:22:49 > 0:22:52regulars on Come Dancing for a good few years now.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54When he's not busy on the dance floor,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Michael runs his own fish and chip shop near Halifax.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01I remember vividly the commentary because it was terrible.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04He's 24 and works for the DHSS in Lancashire.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07She's 23 - a tax officer on Merseyside.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Up next we have John and Jane
0:23:10 > 0:23:14and Jane has sewn 20,000 sequins onto her dress.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Their house is home to a vast assortment of colourful tropical
0:23:17 > 0:23:21fish and an equally vast assortment of equally colourful dance dresses.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24In their spare time they like to do the washing up
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and they make their own dresses.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Neil and Paula have one notable thing in common -
0:23:29 > 0:23:32they both list their hobbies as shopping and spending money.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Hmm.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Enough already. But despite the comedy commentary, Come Dancing was
0:23:39 > 0:23:43a massive source of inspiration for our celebrity dancers.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Probably my mum, somewhere in her attic,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48has still got videotapes that say Come Dancing cos
0:23:48 > 0:23:50we used to record them so that we could watch them back.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53That's how obsessed we were.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I used to watch these amateur dancers on television and think,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00"I want to be on TV, dancing, doing what I love,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02"just like what these guys are!"
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Even though it went till 1998 or something,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09it was still harping back to the '50s.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Sort of like what Strictly does,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but Strictly has made it really modern.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15But it wasn't just the small screen
0:24:15 > 0:24:19that kept our future fox-trotters entranced.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The cinema also gave our 12 year olds the urge
0:24:24 > 0:24:25to take to the dance floor
0:24:25 > 0:24:28with one film in particular taking them by storm.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32In 1987 Dirty Dancing came out.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36It is one of my favourite, favourite movies.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Dirty Dancing was a word-of-mouth hit at the cinema
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and it transformed the way people think about dance.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Set in the 1960s, it follows a 17-year-old student called Baby
0:24:50 > 0:24:53as she falls in love during her summer holidays.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56The guy she just happens to fall in love with was played by none
0:24:56 > 0:24:59other than Hollywood heart-throb Patrick Swayze.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Oh, ain't he handsome?
0:25:01 > 0:25:06# I've had the time of my life... #
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It's the most iconic dance movie ever.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Patrick Swayze in the movie,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16he was quite a cool guy, you know, he was fighting.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18He was good looking and I thought,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20"Hang on a minute, that's quite cool."
0:25:20 > 0:25:24And all the women wanted to be around him and dance with him.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27That was kind of the stage for me where I did realise
0:25:27 > 0:25:29that dancing actually is cool.
0:25:29 > 0:25:37# I've had the time of my life I've never felt this way before... #
0:25:37 > 0:25:42Definitely the movie had a massive impact on my dancing.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44# And I owe it all to you... #
0:25:45 > 0:25:49The fact it was a dancing movie and I was a dancer, that gives me
0:25:49 > 0:25:53inspiration and just the magic of what film does -
0:25:53 > 0:25:58the romance and the dancing. Perfect.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00So those were the TV and film memories
0:26:00 > 0:26:02of our Strictly Come Dancing stars when they were 12.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05But what advice would they give knowing now what
0:26:05 > 0:26:07they didn't know then?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I went through school as a very lucky boy. A lot of boys
0:26:10 > 0:26:13gave up dancing with a lot of talent because they were picked on.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14Now you've got Harry Judd,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18this cool guy from a boy band, who can win Strictly Come Dancing.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19It makes ballroom dancing cool.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24So my advice is if you're a dancer and you do get any trouble,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28keep pushing on cos eventually the rewards will come back to you.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34All I say to you kids - follow your heart and don't be discouraged.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36As a 12-year-old, it's very hard.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40You're growing up, your turning into a young woman and it's not easy.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42You're a bit lost, I think, at that age
0:26:42 > 0:26:45but you've just got to stick with it.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49You've got to keep doing the things that you love doing and you'll
0:26:49 > 0:26:52always come out the other side, you know, a better person for it.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56If I was to go back to being 12 again, you know,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00I had my first kiss when I was 12 and I kissed him and I ran away.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05I think I would kiss him proper, give him a good old smacker.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06If I was 12 again,
0:27:06 > 0:27:11I think I would tell all the kids in the playground that
0:27:11 > 0:27:15I love dancing and it's what I do and get over it.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18If you love something, whether it be a sport,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21whether it be dancing, whether it be playing a musical instrument,
0:27:21 > 0:27:27follow that dream and stick to it and don't listen to anybody else.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31So, what have we learnt?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33That dancers should never sing.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35# It's like a prayer
0:27:35 > 0:27:36# I'll take you there. #
0:27:36 > 0:27:38# Oooh, see that girl. #
0:27:38 > 0:27:40# I wanna, I wanna, I wanna
0:27:40 > 0:27:42# I really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig ah. #
0:27:42 > 0:27:43# Dancing queen. #
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Awful. Clowns are always creepy.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50And Michael runs his own fish and chip shop near Halifax.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52When he's not busy on the dance floor,
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Michael runs his own fish and chip shop near Halifax.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I bet he does a lovely battered haddock.