Strictly Come Dancing may be hit by another fix row as Emmerdale star Lewis Cope’s dance past has been revealed after he has stepped in for Kristian Nairn after his exit

Strictly Come Dancing star Lewis Cope has a secret dance past

Emmerdale star Lewis Cope has stepped in as Kristian Nairn’s replacement on Strictly Come Dancing at the last minute, but may already have an advantage over his co-stars. Game of Thrones actor Kristian suddenly quit the BBC dance competition last night.

He had been announced as the last celebrity for the latest series just last week, but pulled out with a bombshell video posted on social media. Just hours later, Lewis was confirmed to be joining the competition.

Speaking about joining the show, Lewis – who has starred on Emmerdale as Nicky Miligan – said: “I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!”

Lewis found out he was joining Strictly on Monday(Image: BBC)

Lewis only found out on Monday that he was joining the show. However, he has a secret dance past that may become his key to success on the show.

The actor grew up with his brothers Adam, Danny and Peter, who all won the Northern area title as professional fighters. Yet, Lewis chose a different career – dancing.

When he was just 11-years-old, Lewis landed one of the leading roles in Billy Elliot: The Musical in London’s West End. “I never got any stick at school – it probably helped that I had brothers in every year and that they were boxers,” he said.

“But I was also able to charm and joke with classmates, so it was never a big thing. I was very lucky, for somebody else it could have been different.”

Kristian announced he has quit Strictly(Image: kristiannairn/Instagram)

Lewis even caught the attention of David Beckham, who asked him to be part of his 2020 fragrance advert for Bold Instinct. “I’m from a family of 14,” he explained.

“Most of my brothers are boxers, but I chose to dance. David used my story to encourage people to be themselves. We spent a day filming and he interviewed me; he was such a nice guy.”

Lewis turned to dance when he was 10-years-old after trying out a number of sports. “My mum was really supportive,” he recalled. Just a year later, he bagged the role of Michael, Billy Elliot’s gay best friend, alongside Hollywood star Tom Holland.

“I moved to London on my own and lived in ‘The Billy House’, which housed all the kids from the show,” he previously said. “We were young kids in our first jobs but had so much fun.”

After a year Lewis moved back home and joined street dance group Ruff Diamond, who became runners up in Sky’s Got To Dance in 2013. At 18, Lewis went to drama school and has appeared in Vera, Doctors and Hetty Feather.