EXCLUSIVE: Strictly star Lawrence Robb shares his true thoughts on Katya Jones being caught off guard calling him ‘fit’ or what she claims was ‘fierce’ as he shares how he’s managing all the female attention
He might be struggling to impress the Strictly judges, but Lawrence Robb has found himself a new army of admirers and they’re determined to keep him in the competition.
The Emmerdale hunk, 34, has become a housewives’ favourite, with women flooding his Facebook posts with saucy messages and pledging their support for the actor.
And while his fancy footwork might not be setting the leaderboard alight, his growing fanbase certainly has something to celebrate.
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Lawrence has gained more than 60,000 followers on Facebook since joining the BBC dance show and admits he’s more than happy to embrace his new status as a housewives’ heartthrob – particularly if it means picking up a few extra votes.
“Wow, the fans, yes, I’ve seen some messages!” he laughs. “But because it’s so overwhelming I’m trying to focus as much as I can on what I’m doing, the stuff on the socials, I’m probably not seeing as much as I maybe normally would just because it’s so overwhelming.
“And I’m not very good on the socials anyway. But from the stuff that I’ve seen, it’s been nothing but support and I’m very grateful for that.
“But the housewives favourite? Well, listen, as far as I’m concerned, I could use every vote that I can get! So yeah, if the housewives want to vote for me, then fill your boots!”
Fellow professional, Katya Jones, hit the headlines when she was seen appearing to mouth the word “fit” after watching him dance, later claiming she said “fierce”.
So which does Lawrence think he is and will it help when it comes to his position in the competition?
“I’m feeling fierce and fit!” he smiles. “Look, knowing the show, it doesn’t matter where you are on the leaderboard, it goes up and down. You want that arc, don’t you?
“Everyone’s so lovely and I think the important thing is not to be prescriptive with it, everyone’s time here is finite, ultimately. It’s just about how much time you have.
“So let’s just have fun with the time you have here, that’s the most important thing.”
And the actor, who plays Mackenzie Boyd in the ITV soap, has good reason to be grateful for the public’s backing.
Last weekend his jive, with professional partner Jowita Przystał, earned just 19 points thanks to a series of mistakes on the dance floor.
That left the couple second from bottom on the leaderboard and right inside the danger zone. Head judge Shirley Ballas even warned him: “You’ve got the potential, you absolutely can be a star, but you can’t be making too many mistakes.”
But despite the disappointing marks, Lawrence escaped the dreaded dance-off thanks to the viewers at home. And he admits he was convinced his time in the competition could be coming to an end.
He says: “Do you know what, I agree with the judges. I did make a couple of mistakes but I tried my best to maintain it for Jowita’s sake, my sake and the dance’s sake.
“It was mentally and physically exhausting but it’s such a rush dancing. It’s electric. But I genuinely thought I was going to be in the bottom two and dancing again.”
While some celebrities might be disheartened by finding themselves towards the bottom of the leaderboard, Lawrence is determined to keep smiling.
And he insists there is more to his Strictly journey than impressing the four judges.
He explains: “I’d love to get higher scores. But ultimately, I’m not doing it necessarily for the scores. I’d like to think I’m doing it for the love of the performance and for everybody else.
“It would be nice to have a bit of a higher recognition from the judges but at the same time, I enjoy the dance, that’s the main thing.
“I definitely feel more confident, it’s just about maintaining that and I feel good going into this week.”
And while his scores have been a little shaky, Lawrence is certainly growing in confidence when it comes to showing off his moves.
But behind the smiles and the growing female fanbase, Lawrence admits taking part in Strictly has been a terrifying experience.
Despite being used to performing in front of millions on Emmerdale, the pressure of dancing live on Saturday night has left him feeling overwhelmed.
In fact, he says the adrenaline is so intense that he can barely remember what happens once he steps off the dance floor.
He admits: “For all the dances I’ve done, I don’t remember them!
“I remember them because you have to do the dance, but if you were to ask me what happened on the dance floor, until I’ve watched it back, I can’t tell you. It’s all a blur!
“I’ve used the word discombobulating a lot, and that probably still rings true now. The Strictly experience, it’s so wild.
“It’s so difficult to say or to give it a word that encompasses all the emotions that you have because it’s such a wide spectrum moment.
“One minute you’re absolutely elated and the next minute you’re something else. There’s little sprinklings of anxiety chucked in there too.
“But ultimately I’ve had the best time. It’s so much fun and I have an incredible partner and I just need to keep reminding myself that it’s a finite time that we have here and just to enjoy it as much as you can.”
And he admits that being judged in front of millions of viewers can be enough to make him feel physically sick.
He says: “Everyone in the show is doing something that they’ve never done before live and performing it for the judges and the audience within the studio and nationally.
“And that’s massively daunting, if you think about it too much it probably starts to make you feel a bit sick.
“But for me, it’s more about having as much fun as I can while I’m doing it.
“And if a bit of vulnerability and a bit of that element comes through, I think that’s the joy of the show. I just want to have as much fun as I possibly can when I’m doing it.”
And it isn’t just his nerves that have taken a battering.
The gruelling training schedule has left Lawrence discovering muscles he never knew existed, with aches and pains now part of his daily routine.
“I don’t think it would be Strictly if there wasn’t pain or new niggles,” he says. “It’s consistent pain! But it’s a good pain.
“I’m aware of my body possibly more than I was before, and I’m aware of muscles that I maybe wasn’t before. But it’s all good feelings. There’s no ominous pain. It’s just I’m working hard.”
And the dancing doesn’t stop when Lawrence gets home.
He is so determined to master the choreography that he spends his evenings practising, although his cramped flat is hardly an ideal rehearsal studio.
He says: “I’m thinking about posture and frame when I’m at home and watching the videos that we’ve done that day and just trying my best to nail down and remember the choreography.
“My flat isn’t very big and the dances require a lot of space. So I can’t really do very much. I can do two steps and then I bang into the fridge!”
Fortunately, Lawrence has plenty of support away from the ballroom.
His partner Pamela Blair, a West End musical theatre actress, knows all about the demands of performing and has been cheering him on throughout the competition.
But despite her own dancing background, she has resisted the temptation to turn into another Strictly coach.
Lawrence jokes: “My partner Pam is in musical theatre so she gets it while I’m flailing around like a new born giraffe!
“She’s not really giving me any advice or tips, it’s more just enjoy it because it is a once in a lifetime experience.
“I think the schedule has been pretty taxing because it just naturally is. But she’s incredibly supportive and she’s been down to watch us, which is very exciting.”
The couple have also been making trips to a nearby spa for sauna sessions and cold plunges to help him recover from the physical demands of training.
And Lawrence will be hoping all that hard work pays off when he and Jowita return to the ballroom this weekend to perform a tango for Strictly’s Halloween special.
The actor has already been praised for his ability to bring characters to life on the dance floor, with Craig Revel Horwood identifying his acting skills as a potential advantage.
Lawrence says: “Craig said in week one that that’s my secret weapon so I’m just going with it, to be honest.
“Honestly, there is no feeling like a live performance. I think Strictly just brings the element of that live performance, and that fire that I think any performer gets when they perform live, to a different level.
“I’d argue that one of the main reasons that we do what we do is to perform live and there’s nothing like that feeling.
“It’s electric.”
And with his loyal army of housewives ready to pick up their phones once again, he will be hoping his next performance tonight is a thriller rather than a Halloween horror.
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