Nicola Roberts has shared why she was "slow" to pick up the dance routine ahead of Strictly Come Dancing's 2022 Christmas Special.
The Girls Aloud singer will be waltzing onto the dance floor with her pro partner Giovanni Pernice come Christmas Day, though she admits training was more difficult than she had anticipated and that she had been "beating herself up" about it.
"My process is quite slow," she told the Daily Mail, before explaining why her time in Girls Aloud contributes to this.
"When you're in a band, you have weeks to perfect a two-hour show, so there'll be some certain numbers that you pick up quickly [and] numbers that might take a good couple of weeks to really sink in.
"And that's my process. That's how I've learned over the years."
Related: Strictly Come Dancing announces its 2022 champions
Nicola continued: "Obviously, with Strictly, you don't have the luxury of having time. It wasn't until after the fourth session that I felt like we were in a good space."
"Before that, I was kind of, like, beating myself up and not understanding the routine, not grasping the technical aspects, and the position is still not there every time," she added.
"And it’s a lot to think about, so it’s been very fast, but I like to be professional and I like to do a good job, and I’ve had a great time!"
Related: Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special confirms all celebrities for 2022
Giovanni also chimed in, stating that Nicola is ultimately a "good dancer."
"She is really good. She picked it up slowly, but with her background, I can see that she is a good dancer," he said. "We are doing the waltz and we’ve gone for quality, and there's a lot of quality there."
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Christmas Day (December 25) on BBC One, while spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two will air on weeknights next year on BBC Two. Both shows also stream on BBC iPlayer.
Interested in talking about Strictly Come Dancing? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
![Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1636376452-51-wTB4ZAL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]")
Strictly Come Dancing - Motsi & Anton's Strictly The Best [DVD] [2021]
![Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1602857040-51TXVDJudnL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]")
Strictly Come Dancing: Shirley and Craig's Perfect 10 [DVD]
Content Production Intern, Digital Spy
After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022. In this role, Iona writes across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. During her time at Digital Spy, she has interviewed multiple Love Island stars, reported from the Black Adam red carpet and, most recently, interviewed the cast of Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid.
