How Strictly’s Delta Goodrem has tackled show’s ‘curse’ head-on as she reveals what she’s most looking forward to

STRICTLY hopeful Delta Goodrem has tackled the show’s famous break-up curse head-on – by introducing her dance partner Kai Widdrington to her husband straight away. The Aussie singer fixed up a team huddle backstage with her other half, musician Matthew Copley, plus her hunky TV coach and his girlfriend, model Chloe Wells. Delta Goodrem admits dancing is ‘not my background’ but insists she is a good student and there to learn from pro pal Kai Credit: Olivia West Ready to Rumba Delta with dance ace Kai Credit: BBC Halfway through her first week of rehearsals, Delta exclusively told The Sun on Sunday: “They all met straight away after the launch show. “Kai and his beautiful partner Chloe are an amazing couple, and we are excited to be a team together. Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! “I’m relying on my girl Chloe to support us — we all hit it off immediately, we are such a good fit. “Matthew is so supportive of me and is excited to see me dance. “I was so delighted to be partnered with Kai. He is such a good choreo- grapher and has been so patient with me. “Dancing isn’t my background, but I am a good student and I’m there to learn.” Delta and 31-year-old Kai have not yet settled on an official team name yet but Delta is testing out ideas. She said: “I thought about Delta Kai, like Cobra Kai in Karate Kid.” Most read in TV Despite the hours of training ahead of her, 41-year-old Delta is ­relishing the body boot camp she has enrolled in. She said: “I am very much looking forward to the shred. I am ready for this, but I think it’s going to take a while for the ­fitness to fully kick in. “I’ve been gasping for air after the routine — the ­cardio of dancing is intense and my body’s still getting used to this workout. It’s a bit of a shock. “But it’s such a good opportunity to get fit and I am welcoming it and hope I can transform. “It’s definitely getting the heart rate up. I’m going into athlete mode. I love that there are physios, I’m going to be tending to my muscles.” On the plus side, Delta is allowing herself plenty of sweet treats to keep her energy levels up. She said: “I am having that doughnut if I want it. I need a bit of extra sustenance.” Fresh from coming fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest in May, representing Australia with her song Eclipse, Delta is also busily preparing to release a new album, Pure, in November. Delta with husband Matthew, who she married last year Credit: Instagram Delta says she wants to ‘go big and go wild’ with her outfits Credit: Olivia West She and Matthew, who wed last year in Malta, have relocated from Sydney to London for the duration of the BBC One dance show. She said: “I am loving being here. I love the people, going for walks, there are so many West End shows to go and see, it’s so lively. “People in the UK were so supportive of me, so I feel a connection, like it’s a home from home.” Behind the scenes Delta will also be working on a tour for next year — and hopes to include some of the skills she picks up on Strictly. She said: “I want to be able to add some choreography into my shows by the end of this — maybe not ballroom dancing, but definitely a bit of a routine.” Soap fans will remember Delta in Neighbours as music-loving schoolgirl Nina Tucker from 2002 to 2003, before she left the soap to battle Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer, aged just 18. Her diagnosis became public just as her single Innocent Eyes topped the Australian chart, and she put her life on hold while she started chemotherapy and radiotherapy, spending months in ­hospital. She briefly returned to the soap in 2004 before leaving to focus on her singing career full-time. Last year she told a podcast how she had had a premonition about her cancer diagnosis. She said: “I had a nightmare and a very dark figure came to me. I woke up drenched, frozen with fear. “My mum booked me into the hospital, then my whole world changed.” Now Delta is grateful for every opportunity that life gives her. Delta on stage in London last year Credit: Getty Delta says: ‘I’m very much looking forward to the shred. I’m ready for this, but I think it’s going to take a while for the fitness to fully kick in. The cardio of dancing is intense’ Credit: Olivia West She said: “I know what a popular show Strictly is here in the UK, so I am not taking it for granted. I’m stepping into an iconic show.” She added: “I still have some Glitterball butterflies in my stomach, but it’s excitement.” And she sees her fellow contestants as pals rather than rivals. She said: “It’s been so much fun getting to know everyone. It’s a bit like the first day of school. “I was a little shy at first, but it’s a great way to bond with everyone. We are all in the same boat together. “I’ve loved getting to see my new friends get glammed up, like TV dog trainer Graeme Hall and the sports girlies like Dame Sarah Storey and beautiful Tabby Stoecker, who are normally winning medals. I love ­seeing them shine. I am going to try bigger hair and more glitter. I want to go big and go wild with my outfits. “I hope I get to stay in the ­competition for Halloween and Movie Week. “I can’t wait to try all those ­costume ideas. Bring it on.” She added: “Even though I am a performer and I sing, I am not a dancer. I may move, but we don’t have choreography on stage. “I’ve never ballroom-danced before, this is all a first for me.” Until now the closest she had come to Strictly was in 2011 when she sang on the American version, Dancing With The Stars, standing in for Adele at the last minute. Delta recalled: “I’d written a song with Michael Bolton and we were due to perform it. Adele was also ­performing her cover of Aretha Franklin’s A Natural Woman, with the pros doing a ballroom dance to it. “But she was having throat issues in rehearsals and ten minutes before she was due to sing, a producer ­suddenly asked if I could step in. “I hadn’t even sung the song before in my life, but I just performed the words, reading them off an autocue on live TV across America. “It was wild, and the adrenalin was pumping, but I was grateful for the pressure — it was an amazing experience.” That’s the attitude Delta is taking with her into the live Strictly shows. She added: “I’m always keen to jump in. Throughout my life I’ve realised that pressure is a privilege to be able to have, so I’m going to enjoy this experience. I’m lucky to be here.” Strictly Come Dancing goes live at 6.15pm on Saturday, September 26, on BBC One and iPlayer. Comment now