JB Gill insists JLS dancing hasn't been much help for Strictly Come Dancing

J.B. Gill had to "forget everything" he had learned about dancing before taking part in 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

The JLS singer's casting on the show was criticised because of his experiences with the band but he insisted his stage routines haven't been helpful at all when it comes to learning Latin and ballroom routines with professional partner Amy Dowden.

Speaking on the Mirror's 'Invite Only' podcast, he said: "When I walked into rehearsals, the first thing Amy said to me was: 'You need to forget everything you have learned.'

"My wife is a professional dancer in a commercial style, and when I went back home and showed her the video she said: 'What even is that? I don't understand.'

"There's this misconception about what I can do, but none of the members of JLS are trained dancers, not one of us. There has been no stage school, no dance classes. Yes, the performance element has been helpful, but every style is different.

"And I can't attack this in the way that I would attack it if we were performing in a stadium show, because that would be a disaster.

"At the launch show, what I was trying to do was literally to walk in a straight line, a simple two step forward. But I have never been more nervous than I was at that moment, because I'm used to making everything big.

"Instead I had to do something that is alien to me, but also control it, and make it elegant and classy. I was terrified of Craig Revel Horwood saying: 'Darling, you can't even walk in a straight line.' "

The 'Beat Again' hitmaker's bandmate Aston Merrygold took part in the show in 2017 but was controversially voted off in week seven, and now he's pushing for J.B. to lift the Glitterball Trophy this year as part of his own "redemption".

J.B. said: "Aston knows Amy, so he said to me: 'Look, you've got a great dancer, just keep working hard.' He was not happy with the scores last week - he told me I was undermarked.

"Because his exit was a shock, he wants redemption now - he wants me to go all the way this year.

"But Amy and I are just putting one step in front of another, we're taking one week, one dance, and one step at a time.

"For me, I've watched Amy on the show, so I knew she was an incredibly talented dancer. What I didn't know until now was how great she is as a teacher. I feel very honoured to be dancing with her."