Kate Silverton (Image: Ray Burmiston/ BBC)
WHEN she’s standing in the wings, waiting nervously to do her star turn on the Strictly dance floor every week, Kate Silverton can hear her beloved late dad’s voice. “My dad Terry, a salt of the earth London cabbie, used to take me swimming and when I was very nervous before a race he would give me a pep talk,” reveals the BBC broadcaster and journalist, who was a school swimming champion. “‘Come on, girl,’ he used to say. I can hear his voice now,” says Kate – who’s been preparing for this weekend’s American smooth dance in Blackpool with Strictly dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec.
Although her late father isn’t here to watch her gradual transformation from no-nonsense newshound with size nine feet to gliding Strictly swan, she knows Terry would be chuffed to bits with her progress in recent weeks.
“He would have loved the Viennese waltz,” smiles Kate, whose father died after being diagnosed with lung, liver and bone cancer in 2015. It was a difficult time for the family as Terry deteriorated quickly and Kate has spoken of her distress at seeing her father in so much pain.
But Terry’s deep belief in his daughter will no doubt have been a great help to Kate after she received a drubbing from judges for her Argentine tango, with pantomime baddie Craig Revel Horwood calling it “stuck in the mud” and apologetic Darcey Bussell telling her she was “stiff”.
The 48-year-old pointed out that she did the best she possibly could. “I couldn’t have given a good dance given the circumstances,” she says.
“I’d just ripped the muscle from my rib while rehearsing on the Friday night, and I was in a lot of pain during that dance. So of course I was ‘stiff’. Go figure.”
Last week she fought back and secured a place to dance at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom after receiving her highest score yet – 30 points – for her quickstep.
It’s clear that mum-of-two Kate is a popular choice with the Strictly audience and millions of viewers.
On arriving in Blackpool this week, she thanked her fans on Instagram as she took in the beautiful ballroom: “Aljaz has just brought me into the ballroom where he danced when he was just six years old. It’s huge!
STARTING OUT: Baby Kate is cradled by her beloved father Terry (Image: Nick Webster)
“The thought of him being so small dancing here on this amazing floor just take a look as we go up, up, and up. Look at the murals, it’s extraordinary.
“It’s quite magical to be here. I’m really really pleased and grateful to be here, thankyou for keeping us in.”
It seems it’s been a tough week.
When host Zoe Ball asked how rehearsals were going, Kate said to Aljaz: “You were a bit concerned yesterday.”
He replies: “I was a bit concerned, Blackpool concerns.”
But Kate revealed she is delighted to finally be able to be lifted properly by her partner, despite her rib injury.
“I’ve never been lifted before, ever, and I couldn’t stop giggling. It’s like being on a fairground ride, going around and around. I love it.”
Toughing it out is just what you would expect from someone who met her ex-Royal Marine Commando husband on a hostile environment training course for journalists and who had half the military’s top brass at their 2010 wedding in St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street.
Recently sitting in the Strictly studio audience, Kate had her family rooting for her. “My husband Mike was joined by my mum Patricia and sisters Claire and Amy – although I think they mostly come to see Aljaz!” she says.
While the judges have disagreed on whether Kate and Aljaz have enough “chemistry” for their liking, there’s no doubt that a shared sense of humour – and dislike of low ceilings – is the secret to 5ft 10in Kate and 6ft-tall dance partner Aljaz’s relationship.
The 28-year-old Slovenian is well known for being a joker on the show, and the two clearly spend all their time laughing together and enjoying banter.
“Oh, Aljaz is a dream. There’s an immense amount of trust between us,” smiles Kate. “And his wife Janette, who sadly had to leave the show with Dr Ranj, has been very supportive. She was the one who told me to really commit to doing this.”
SULTRY: Kate as Jessica Rabbit (Image: WENN)
Having to get into character and channel your inner sex goddess when you’re worried you might be flashing your bum was not as easy for the TV journalist as it might be for some of the other younger contestants.
Although having lost two dress sizes on the magical Strictly weight loss diet must have boosted Kate’s confidence.
She admits: “It was a bit of a hurdle dressing up as Jessica Rabbit and I did wonder if there was anything going to be put under that red dress! But wardrobe are very supportive and you just have to trust them.
“I felt self-conscious being sexy in front of millions of people watching on TV. Being Jessica Rabbit was a leap for me – but I put my faith in Aljaz.”
STYLE AND SMILES: Kate and dance partner Aljaz have a shared sense of humour (Image: Guy Levy/ BBC)
Whether she’s dodging bullets on the front line in Iraq or London’s Elstree Studios, Kate wears her flak jacket on the inside – and her indomitable spirit is helping others beyond the glitter of the show.
“Whatever happens, I’ve had lots of women emailing or on social media telling me they’ve felt inspired by my appearance on Strictly. They see a 48-year-old mum-of-two who is really trying. And that’s the essence of Strictly – getting people out of their comfort zone.”
And then, because at heart Durham University psychology graduate Kate is seriously swotty, she loosely quotes long-dead German poet Goethe. “The moment one commits oneself, then providence follows,” she says, “and I have fully embraced everything on Strictly without hesitation. Otherwise there would be no point in doing it.”
She says: “I couldn’t do Strictly before because I was in Iraq, then pregnant, then a stay-at-home mum for the past seven years working just one day a week. But now my two children are at school, I have the time for training.”
Sean Walsh (L) and Kate Silverton attend the red carpet launch for ‘Strictly Come Dancing 2018’ (Image: Tim P. Whitby/Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images)
She has been very open about her struggles to conceive as an older mother, her gruelling four rounds of IVF and then the miraculous natural births of her daughter Clemency, seven, and four-year-old son Wilbur.
“My mum was a stay-at-home mum,” she says.
“And I’m in a lucky position where I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve. “Next year she intends to devote more time to two subjects close to her heart.
“I wanted Strictly to be a joyful interlude – and help me raise more awareness for children’s mental health and for conservation.”
Tonight Kate and Aljaz – now among only eight couples who could still lift the Strictly trophy – are dancing the American smooth to Everlasting Love by Love Affair.
“I don’t want the journey to end.
But I try never to think about that – I’m just throwing myself into it.”
Or as Kate’s old pal Goethe said: “Whatever you can do or dream you can. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Clearly an early fan of Strictly.