Years ago, when I had just started watching competitions and didn’t actually know any ‘names’, I became aware of Matthew and Nicole during an Amateur competition held at the Brentwood International Centre. I remember pointing them out as a couple that should be watched, as for me they stood out so clearly because of their dancing flair and ability. We began our interview by asking Matthew and Nicole about the Amateur circuit and if they thought that it had changed since they had turned Professional 7 years ago? They both thought that it had for several reasons. The Amateurs today they said, were lucky to be able to gain financial help through being paid to do demonstrations, or coaching through the Amateur Coaching Scheme. This was a big difference to how things were for them, when they were Amateurs. They also pointed out that in Europe especially, there was so little difference in the Amateur and Professional ranks that it was quite common today for a top ranked Amateur on turning Professional to go straight into a Major Final. This would not have happened previously. Nicole pointed out that the best that would normally have been expected would have been to make the semi. This led us on to the question of why this should be the case? Matthew said that during his time when he danced with Charlotte, he spent a lot of time teaching in Denmark. He said that it was noticeable that the attitude towards dancing abroad was very different. The Danes organised Dancing Camps that were more like ‘Boot Camps’. They were serious Camps where several hundred dancers would be expected to attend. Nicole chipped in and said that this was the case in many other countries. If you were invited to attend a Workshop or Training session and didn’t attend, it was frowned upon. At this point in the conversation there was a massive thump that came from the floor above and Matthew decided he had better go and check that no-one was looting the place. When he returned he revealed that it had just been Bryan and Carmen practicing Appels upstairs. Wow! We turned the flow of the conversation to how they had coped with exercise and nerves during their Amateur career. I wanted to know if they had followed any particular exercise regime, eg the gym or pilates. Both of them said that they had never been big fans of the gym (I can identify with this!), and had never felt that it was necessary to supplement their dancing with another form of exercise. As Nicole pointed out, if you dance enough, you are using all the muscles you need to exercise anyway and you need to rest at some point! Matthew also went along with this, which I found quite refreshing as very often today you are made to feel guilty if you don’t go to the gym, run a couple of miles and attend a fitness class during the week! I was also curious to know if they had any nutrition tips for competitors. Nicole said that neither of them were into eating bananas or had any particular food fads, although her recommendation was to drink plenty of water. Matthew confessed that he had once followed a recipe for making your own nutritional sports drink, but they both laughed and said that it had tasted so disgusting they hadn’t bothered again! Their basic advice was common sense really. Make sure you start the day with a good meal and then don’t overdo it during the day. Pace yourself but drink plenty, that way you will be able to last and more importantly, perform through to the final. I asked them both about stress. I was curious to know whether they were more nervous dancing in front of a large live audience such as in the Royal Albert Hall, or in front of a small audience but on live TV. I wanted to know whether they forgot the cameras? Nicole laughed and said without hesitation that live TV was the worst by far! They both agreed that it was all to do with trust. If she was dancing with Matthew and one of them went wrong, they know each other so well, that she would be confident that they could manage and no-one would know. With a celebrity on live TV however, you just don’t know what they are going to do - ever! The fact that it’s live just makes it even more nerve racking. Matthew agreed and said that was why everyone looked so happy as the last note struck - because it had finished and they’d got through it! Having said that, they both agreed that ‘Strictly’ had been a great experience and they were hoping to do another series. (this interview was done before Matthew won with Aleisha) One of the things that came across to us when we were talking to Matthew and Nicole was how happy they both seemed. They were obviously very comfortable in each others company. I asked them what their plans were for the future? Apart from doing ‘Strictly’ again , they are very excited about the prospect of being able to do shows and exhibitions. This time however, with the pressure of competitions gone, they are looking forward to being able to do choreography and develop their dancing in the way that they want to. This seemed to be something that they wished they had done more of during their competitive career. Apart from demonstrating, they are also busy of course with teaching at Semley Studio. The interview over, we took some photos with Nicole managing to dance in 3 inch wedged mules-quite a feat in itself! We came away with the impression of a very friendly, charismatic couple with a great future ahead of them. Our thanks to Matthew and Nicole for taking time out from their busy schedule to talk to us. Written by Tracey, photographs by Martyn