Former footballer Paul Merson has revealed a surprising plan if he reaches the final of Strictly Come Dancing—he’ll enlist none other than his friend Elton John to perform on the show.
Merson, who recently joined the Strictly line-up, shared his bold intention in a candid interview, telling Radio Times: “I’m good friends with Elton John. I was at his concert at Vicarage Road and I went backstage and met him beforehand.
“If I get into the final I might ask him to sing on Strictly. You’re looking at me like I’m joking… I’m not joking!”
The 56-year-old sporting legend has swapped football pitches for ballroom floors, admitting that his journey on the dance competition will be a challenge.
“Joining [the show] is a whole new ball game for me, but I’m going to tackle this challenge head-on,” said Merson, who hails from London.
“I’m ready to swap the pitch for the ballroom floor, so here’s hoping my two left feet can learn some moves. And you never know, maybe I’ll be taking home the Glitterball Trophy!”
Though Merson is embracing the glitz and glamour of Strictly, his life off-screen has been far from smooth.
The former midfielder has openly struggled with addiction, a battle that cost him £7 million and destroyed his first marriage to Lorraine Costin. Merson’s high-earning football career masked the extent of his reckless spending.
Lorraine once admitted: “I wasn’t even angry when I found out how much he’d spent. I just felt helpless.”
Merson’s addiction issues were severe, with Lorraine confessing that she had a “deluded” belief that she could fix him. “The hardest thing is to help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves,” she said.
Despite his troubled past, Merson is determined to use his time on Strictly to inspire others facing similar struggles. “Being an addict and a recovering alcoholic myself….to show people watching this show who have got addictions, that you can go out and do something like this…is so important,” he explained.
“Addiction takes you away from everything. That’s all it ever does. It wants you on your own. Now I’m going in front of millions of people doing something I’m not very good at. I used to think, ‘I can’t do things like that’ but now I’ve got the opportunity to try.”
Cheering Paul Merson on from the sidelines will be his third wife, Kate, and their two children, as bookmakers have already predicted him to be the first celebrity eliminated from this year’s series.
Paul has odds of 5/2 to be the first to be sent home.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes revealed to The Sun: “Before a move is even made, punters are backing Paul Merson to be the first star axed from Strictly. He’s not the only one in the danger zone though, with Nick Knowles and Punam Krishan also expected to underperform.”
Meanwhile, Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, actor Jamie Borthwick, JLS singer JB Gill and singer Shayne Ward are all tipped at 4/1 odds to clinch the Glitterball trophy.