Strictly’s Sarah Hadland reveals Vito’s one habit that makes her ‘quite emotional’ after suffering family loss
It's Icons Week on Strictly Come Dancing and the contestants are gearing up to take part in the themed week for the first time in the BBC show's history. Each pair will dance to a track from an iconic artist, with picks including The Beatles, Queen, Madonna and Whitney Houston. Ahead of Saturday's live show, each celebrity and their professional partner has opened up about the people they consider to be icons.
Sarah Hadland revealed she sees her late grandfather as an icon as he was a "massive influence" on her. The actress, 53, reflected on her loss and admitted her dancing partner Vito Coppola has a habit which makes her miss her late grandfather a lot, prompting to become "quite emotional".
"My Grandpa was a massive influence on me. He was an amazing man, and I think about him a lot. He died when I was about 18 but I still think about him all the time. I get quite emotional because often Vito talks to his grandparents and I kind of feel sad that mine aren’t alive anymore. I think he would love this," Sarah admitted.
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She emotionally added: "You realise that even though somebody hasn't been in your life for a really long time, they can still really affect you. You realise the impact they've had on you because you're still thinking about them what values they had. Sometimes I think what would he say about that or what would he think about that?"
Meanwhile, Vito, 31, sweetly revealed he sees some of his family members as icons. Reflecting on his family, he said: "My family. They are my icons because each of them has something different. My Mum is my icon because of her work ethic. I've learned that from her. My Father is my icon as he literally taught me about life.
"My Grandparents are very wise and I talk to them more than my parents! My Brother is my hero. My Brother is younger than me but he's more responsible and wiser, he gives the best advice. I'm just very lucky, very happy, very grateful."
Sarah and Vito will be dancing the Cha Cha Cha to Like a Prayer by Madonna for Icons Week. Sarah revealed she finds Madonna "extraordinary" ahead of her performance.
"I went to see her at Wembley back in the early 90s. I've been aware of her all my adult life. I think what's so extraordinary about her is she began the reinvention thing," Sarah said. "Every time she had a new album out, she had a different look from the Jean Paul Gaultier era and the bustier and the hair. I mean, she's just incredible. A friend of mine is friends with her and I'm always like, please get a video. He says she's amazing."
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