I get a load of DMs from girls, but I’ve only got eyes for Dianne, reveals Strictly Come Dancing’s Bobby Brazier
Pro dancer Dianne insisted Bobby is 'definitely not an angel'
HIS dazzling moves on Strictly have seen Bobby Brazier inundated with saucy messages from admirers.
Things reached fever pitch after Movie Week when the EastEnders actor and his pro partner Dianne Buswell delivered a lively samba dressed as Romeo and Juliet.
But the 20-year-old has played down the attention and insists he only has one woman in his life.
Bobby said: “I’ll pay attention to a few of them! But my eyes are focused on my Juliet, Dianne.
“She is unbelievable and performing every Saturday with her is so much fun.
“I appreciate all the compliments and people thinking I’m a star — I’m in a fortunate position.
“With social media, people seem to be enjoying the partnership and dances Dianne and I are doing.”
Dianne, 34, insists Bobby is being modest and that the snake-hipped pin-up has been swamped with attention during his time on the BBC One ballroom contest.
‘Rubbing off on me’
She reckons their dance to Candi Staton’s Young Hearts Run Free from the 1997 Baz Luhrmann film — with Bobby as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo and Dianne as Claire Danes’ angelic Juliet during that “fish tank scene” — was key to him winning even more fans.
The pro dancer said: “Bobby has so many people sliding into his DMs now.
“I think we can bring out a bit more of ‘angel Bobby’. He’s definitely not an angel!”
Dianne, who has been in a relationship with YouTuber Joe Sugg, 32, since they were partnered together on Strictly in 2018, has been whipping Bobby into shape and landing the duo near to the top of the scoreboard each week.
But being a hard taskmaster has not stopped Dianne’s young student from gushing over her, though.
On TV last week, Bobby admitted: “There are times when I don’t like you but then there are times that I love you.”
Turning to Dianne, he added: “I think I’m getting better at working harder. You’re rubbing off on me in certain ways and I’m rubbing off on you in certain ways.”
Whatever Dianne is doing, it seems to be reaping rewards with the Strictly judges and viewers alike. But it has come at a price.
Despite being the youngest contestant on this year’s series, Bobby says the gruelling routines have left him feeling geriatric.
He said: “I woke up this morning and it took me 45 minutes to move and I got up and I swung my legs over and I was like, ‘Wow, old people. I respect you so much — how do you do this?’
“It’s just when I go to sit down I just want to stay down. I don’t think my body is that bad once it’s up and when it’s warm.
“I’ve got a big old bruise on my bum still. I fell over and hit my butt, bone first. That was painful.
“I need some tips and stuff because I feel like an old man.
“Dianne actually said to me in the week that I am moving like an old man.”
Thankfully he has his ‘old man’, Jeff Brazier, 44, on hand for support.
The TV presenter has been visiting the duo in the rehearsal studio to ensure his son wants for nothing.
Bobby said: “I had a little rant this morning and he listened, but other than that he’s just being my dad. He’s been cooking for us too.”
Dianne added: “He’s been making us some very lovely lunches, which I then inherit for my dinner.
“He makes the biggest portions, even brings two plates in and everything.
“It’s proper home-cooked meals for lunch and dinner.”
Bobby, who recently scooped the Rising Star Award at the National Television Awards for his role as Freddie Slater in EastEnders, has been in the spotlight since the day he was born.
His mum was “Bermondsey girl” Jade Goody, who shot to fame on Big Brother in 2002 and became the show’s first millionaire.
She started dating Jeff, then a rising TV star, soon after and gave birth to Bobby in 2003 and his brother Freddie a year later.
The couple split in 2004, blaming media attention.
Jade was later diagnosed with cervical cancer and died in 2009, aged 27.
Her death saw a substantial increase in the number of women attending cervical screenings, which was dubbed “the Jade Goody effect”.
Overwhelming emotions
Jeff tried to give the boys a normal upbringing, but Bobby had ambitions that would see him become famous in his own right.
Tall and handsome, he was scouted by a model agency at 16 and took to the catwalk for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana.
While he initially enjoyed modelling, Bobby admitted it did not leave him feeling fulfilled.
He recalled: “It was fashion week in London, I was very busy, I was pictured in a shop window for the first time and there was a party.
“It was fun, I was drinking, there were girls, all the attention was on me. I was earning money, I was walking shows, it was brilliant.
“It was all I ever wanted for a long time . . . but there was so many overwhelming emotions.
“So I leave early, I get a bargain bucket from KFC, I go to the hotel and cry because there’s all these different emotions, but there was a real feeling of, ‘Is this it?’”
Bobby had always had acting ambitions and made his screen debut in September 2022 when he joined the cast of the long-running BBC soap.
Fans have called for him to win a second TV award following his recent “phenomenal” scenes where his character came to the rescue of Stacey Slater.
Bobby certainly feels performing is a more satisfying pursuit than the materialistic world of fashion.
He said: “It doesn’t take earning X amount, wearing this, doing this or having this amount of eyes on you, anything like that, to be happy.
“That’s the blessing of happiness — everyone can feel it.
“It’s not subject to materialist things. Can you imagine if happiness did work like that?
“If it was a game and you got a certain amount of happiness for every Gucci bag you get?”
But he does not deny enjoying having all eyes on him every Saturday night when he takes to the dance floor on Strictly.
And having two famous parents — particularly one with such a highly-publicised tragic story — has prepared him well for his newfound stardom.
He said: “I’ve always dealt with fame. Also, I’ve always wanted it. I’ve just been given what I want.
“It’s like anything. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s the last thing I want to deal with. It just feels like part of my experience.
“I have a deeper understanding of who I am, not identifying with opinions and ideas, what other people think of me, it means I’m not a victim.
“I’m grounded in a sense of contentment.”
- Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight on BBC One at 6.45pm
