South Shields comedian Chris Ramsey urges fans to vote ahead of Strictly Come Dancing Halloween special

And South Shields-born comedian Chris Ramsey will be taking on a spooky Samba to Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) by the Backstreet Boys to try and secure his place in the seventh week of the competition.

Partnered with professional dancer Karen Hauer, the Samba will be Chris’ third Latin dance of the series so far, and we can’t wait to see how much he’s improved his Elton John-themed Jive.

That routine, performed in week four, netted the couple 26 points – their joint-highest score to date. Week one’s Cha Cha Cha achieved only 13 marks.

So, does Chris have high hopes for the Samba?

Speaking to the Gazette in an interview earlier this week, the comedian said he might need some WD40 to get his hips into action, but that he’d been working hard in his exhausting training sessions, which are being held at his former school Harton Academy.

But now the practice is done, the dress rehearsal is over, and Chris has joined the other Strictly celebs and professionals in taking to social media on Saturday to rally supporters for as many votes as possible.

Sharing a snap of his Halloween make-up on Twitter, he said: “It’s Halloween today on Strictly! The show starts at 6:45pm and voting opens at 8:20pm #VoteRamsey.”

*Share your own messages of support for Chris and Karen with the Gazette using #VoteChris and #TeamChrisRamsey.