Tristan MacManus Interview (54) - November 22, 2015

Another fabulous Q and A with our favorite pro!

Congratulations to you and Jamelia on a wonderful run on Strictly. We loved every second of it. Do you have a couple of special memories from your time working together?

Not really. I think all our time we actually spent together was great.  We laughed a lot at all the stuff written about us both  and our lack of media interest.  We are perfectly matched in that sense in that we are both as bad as each other but for the purpose of the show we were probably worst paired for that side of it – haha.  We are both the same in that we just concentrate on our work and don't get caught up with all the other stuff that seems to be almost as important when it comes to reality/produced tv. We always had great fun on ITT. It’s the side show where there is no control over you and you can do and say (within reason) what you want - ha.  We get on great off the floor and outside of 'work'.
 
In an interview with us from November 7, 2013 we asked you about partner preferences with regard to past experience.  Here was your response.

“If I could choose a partner, anything dance would be the last thing that came into it. If they had a lifetime of ballroom dance experience, and I didn’t like them, I couldn’t think of anyone worse to spend all that time with. I would choose someone with little to none with a brain of their own and a personality of their own every day of the week – breakfast, lunch and dinner!!”

We were discussing this on the forum earlier and someone commented that it sounds like Jamelia might fit that description.  Your thoughts?  (other than you probably knew these interviews would come back to haunt you) 
 
Yes - 100%. I like people who know who they are and don't change to suit others. Sometimes you say some things that get completely taken out of context and then you have to live with that so you can either spend your days trying to cover it up and make excuses to get people onside or you can put your hands up and say ‘that’s what I said then and let sleeping dogs lay.’  I’d prefer to know the person I have decided I don't like - haha. I say some things day to day that get taken out of context. People will always find fault when they go looking for it. The show isn't all about dancing so when we sit down for breaks or after work or before I don't want to be talking about dancing and what everyone else in the show is doing and how can we get our faces in the paper or whatever.  I want to get to know the person I'm spending time with so when this circus is over I have actually met somebody I like spending time with. Jamelia was always pleasant and nice to me and whoever I introduced her to and that is more important to me than people thinking we are good or bad at dancing.
 
You’ve use the word ‘respect’ a lot in all of our interviews. In your opinion, what does one have to do to earn respect?

You don't have to do anything to earn respect. It should be a given - - YOU RESPECT PEOPLE! That’s the end of it!! You need a reason to lose respect for someone but not to have it. I have had a few issues with people’s opinions on respect and what respect is. You treat people with respect by being a decent human being - not by telling everybody how much you respect people or showing symbols or giving money or whatever it is once a year. Look people in the eye, shake their hand, and ask them about themselves and their families.
 
Several pros have their own tours and those tours vary substantially in length, content, and format. Is this something you have ever thought about doing?
 
No, it’s not for me.  There are a lot of tours going on and I think they are great but I have no plans for my own.
 
Do you do anything special to prevent injuries? This might not be the case, but there seem to be fewer injuries on SCD than what we saw on DWTS. Is there anything done differently on SCD?

No, I get a lot of injuries just like everyone else. It’s a very deceiving show in terms of what is involved.  We all get fatigued physically and mentally and it takes its toll. We get a lot of injuries on Strictly as well as DWTS. Maybe the styles and the priorities on the shows differ but they are equally as 'dangerous'. A lot of the celebs are shocked at what the show requires after they sign up and with the time given you have to throw yourself in the deep end and you find the balance of who picks up the slack. So everyone is going for it in case it’s the end, and it’s inevitable that something is gonna bruise or break – haha.  A lot of dancers internally carry a lot of injuries but we have routines to help us keep going.  When I was younger for sure I never looked after injuries. You just pushed through but as you get older they reoccur and the snowball effect kicks in and before you know it you are wrapped in ice and everything clicks and cracks when you sit down or stand up  - haha.
 
When 2015 Strictly ends in a few weeks, will you be getting a much needed break or do you have other projects in the works?

Yeah, I fly out to Florida the morning after Strictly finishes for some shows there, and then I will take a break at the start of the new year unless they ask us to do the Strictly tour which we haven't heard too much about yet. Always working!
 
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Final note: On November 29, 2015, we will be celebrating the fourth anniversary of the launch of this website and at approximately the same time, we will have reached 900,000 forum views.  Tristan sent along these very special words and for that we thank him.
 
"A week away from 4 years on the website which is unbelievable. It’s as humbling now as it was Day 1 and as always I can't thank you enough for the time and effort you guys put in and support you give out.  It’s a testament to the work you guys do that 900,000 or so views have been reached. You keep people more interested than I do, I think.  But again from the bottom of my heart, I thank you."   --Tristan