Exclusive: Strictly’s George Clarke reveals what model girlfriend thinks of his fake tan as he tells all on surprising new fans liennhi
TEENAGERS love his comic content on YouTube, but George Clarke says that appearing on Strictly has brought him a whole new generation of followers – Facebook mums.
The internet star may have millions of fans worldwide, but when he was announced as part of this year’s dance contest line-up, most viewers had never heard of him.
Fast forward two months and George, 25, has become one of the most popular contestants to take to the floor of the BBC One ballroom.
So much so, he dodged last weekend’s dreaded dance-off, even though he and pro partner Alexis Warr were at the bottom of the leaderboard after judges criticised their jive to Harry Styles hit As It Was.
And George, who is known as George Clarkey on YouTube with 620,000 followers, knows exactly who is saving him.
In an exclusive chat with The Sun ahead of tonight’s Halloween special, he said: “The Facebook mums love me. I think obviously any form of support is lovely and I couldn’t appreciate it more.
“It’s this new style of comments that I’m getting from Linda and such, just saying things like, ‘I had no idea who you were, but . . .’
“It’s very overwhelming that people voted for me, and obviously it was because of all of them that I’m still in the competition.”
Facebook mums is the affectionate term given to women aged 40-plus who use the social media site.
‘Gives you a wedgie’
George added: “I haven’t had any saucy messages from the mums or the grans yet!
“But the fact they now know about me is nice, because they’ve found me from a new place and it seems like I’ve reached a new audience.”
It will be music to his girlfriend Yasmin Bennett’s ears.
George confirmed his relationship with the lingerie model shortly after signing up for the show to avoid any talk about a potential romance with Alexis.
And so far it seems Yasmin is loving being a Strictly Wag.
He said: “She’s fully behind it. She has not yet got the ’ick! Well, I hope she hasn’t!
“I’m loving the spray tans, I live for two or three days a week looking unbelievably tanned and people are complimenting me, saying I look so healthy.
“Yas says she actively prefers me with a tan. So now I’m thinking, ‘S**t! I’ve got to keep up with this man I’m pretending to be for a few months’.
“She’s the most supportive girlfriend I could ever ask for. She’s amazing. I think she believed in me more than I did.
The Facebook mums love me. I think obviously any form of support is lovely and I couldn’t appreciate it more
George
“I send videos of how training’s been going and she’s yet to say I’m bad. Maybe she’s just a good liar?”
George needs all the help he can get to stay in the competition after what can only be described as a fall from grace.
When he exploded on to the dance floor with his American Smooth on the first live episode, judges Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas branded him the dark horse of the contest.
As one of the only celebrities in the line-up to have absolutely no dance experience, he has thrown himself into the challenge.
Throughout the weeks, he has been racking up great scores, including 30 points for his sexy paso doble and 31 for his KPop Demon Hunters-inspired couples’ choice routine.
But he went from hero to zero last weekend as he slumped to the bottom of the leaderboard when the judges spotted all his missed steps in the jive and awarded him just 27 points. George says his confidence in the competition had come from the fact he did not felt any pressure — until now.
He explained: “Maybe the ability came from the fact that I have had no pressure. So it’s gonna go really downhill this week.
“But I’m trying not to look at things too much. What I’ve tried to do from the first day of this experience is just treat every day as it comes. You have to trust the process.
“You have to try as much as possible to be present and focus on the exact moment and the things you can control.
“I think it comes down to the reasoning for me wanting to do it, which was never to win or to prove something to people. It was more that I enjoy a challenge.
“This is such a cool experience, just go and enjoy it.
“I think my attitude on that’s not gonna change, so my attitude to the way that I’m tackling it won’t. Of course, the increased pressure, it’s definitely there — you remember you’re dancing with a professional and they are used to winning.”
I haven’t had any saucy messages from the mums or the grans yet!
George
As a dancing novice, George has embraced all the glitter and sequins that come with the show.
But he admits getting to grips with the costumes has sometimes been an uncomfortable experience.
He said: “To start with I said they could put me in anything, I’ll be fine with it. I’d maybe kick up a fuss or say something online, but I’m chill and it’ll all be fine.
“They heard that and ran with it.
“I had no idea how tight the shirts were. You obviously don’t want them riding up, so Strictly’s way of combating this is they sew pants to the bottom of the shirt and you step into the shirt like some kind of adult babygrow. It gives you a wedgie.”
Thankfully, those watching at home have not seen the carnage the costumes are causing down below.
Obviously my job is social media, so we have been posting things about Strictly, then I’m just going on my phone. It’s just Strictly everywhere
George
However, the gruelling training schedule for the programme has started to take its toll on George.
He said: “I have been dreaming about the routine. It’s hard to switch off from Strictly World be- cause you’re dancing all day and you come back.
“Obviously my job is social media, so we have been posting things about Strictly, then I’m just going on my phone. It’s just Strictly everywhere.”
This series has been rocked by injuries and illness which have already seen three celebrities pull out.
Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn left before the launch show for medical reasons and replaced by ex-Emmerdale star Lewis Cope.
Dani Dyer broke her ankle, with former Love Islander turned West End star Amber Davies coming in.
And Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis missed a show after falling ill — before being forced to quit altogether tearing his calf muscle.
George, who comes from Bristol, where his dad Sean is managing director of Wallace and Gromit creators’ Aardman Animations, has been battling his own health woes, as he revealed he took to the dance floor last month with a pinched nerve in his back.
But he managed to heal himself in the most unusual way.
He explained: “I did some self-chiropracting when I did a dive roll and it popped back into place.
“The physio team here are great, but my body’s holding up so far.
“I think it’s just making sure I’ve eaten enough and slept enough.
“There was one time Alex was seeing me fade and was like, ‘Have you eaten today?’.
“So she makes sure I have breakfast. I don’t think I really took care of my body before this.”
George admitted rehearsing ten hours a day has its advantages. “My body clock’s way better, my sleeping pattern’s improved,” he said.
“I feel more fit and my hamstrings are more flexible. There’s a six-pack brewing under there somewhere. I’m in my Strictly era now.”
POLL: DANCE CELEBS CAN FOXTROT OSCAR
SUN readers have waltzed right into the middle of Strictly’s row about celebrities with dance experience.
And three in five of you reckon stars who already know a bit about fancy footwork should be BANNED from the contest.
In an exclusive poll, our readers were asked: “Is it unfair for celebs with dance experience to compete?”
Some 62 per cent answered: “Yes, it should be banned.”
Meanwhile, 31 per cent said: “No, I don’t mind.” And seven per cent admitted they “couldn’t decide”.
It comes amid fan fury over West End performer Amber Davies, whose ballroom brilliance has made her a less popular pick among viewers despite the judges rating her highly.
Last weekend, the panel awarded her 33 points, but she still landed in the bottom two with pro partner Nikita Kuzmin after the public vote.
It is a debate that’s raged every year, with recent celebrities including Layton Williams in 2023 and Tasha Ghouri in 2024 facing a backlash for already having dance skills.
But a show source said none of the celebs have experience in Latin and ballroom, the two main disciplines of Strictly.
They added: “We know viewers love a mix of beginners and people who have danced before but don’t yet know ballroom and Latin. Some of Strictly’s most entertaining contestants ever fall into this second camp.”
‘He looks guilty even when he’s telling the truth…’: Alan Carr’s ‘genius game plan’ finally exposed by dumped co-star Kate Garraway — as the presenter predicts he’ll outwit everyone to snatch The Celebrity Traitors crown next week… - suong
Alan Carr's 'genius game plan' has been revealed by his dumped co-star Kate Garraway.
The comedian, 49, is a fan favourite on the show and could potentially be crowned the winner next week if he plays his cards right.
Presenter Kate, 58, who was voted off the show earlier this week, has opened up about Alan's cunning moves.
During an appearance on Romesh Ranganathan's Radio 2 Celebrity Traitors special show, she said: 'I think he's going to win. I don't know. I'm going to say it now.'
Kate - who was a Faithful on the show - revealed that the cast were asked two questions which they knew to be true and then asked if they were the Traitor.
She went on to share that the biggest tell-tale sign of knowing is that celebrities' faces changed when their eyes flickered.
Alan Carr, 49, is a fan favourite on the show and could potentially be crowned the winner next week if he plays his cards right
His 'genius game plan' has been revealed by his dumped co-star Kate Garraway
Kate continued: 'The flaw in the plan was everybody slightly flickered, their eyes changed so when you say 'are you a mother of five' they just go yes because they're relaxed about that.
'But on every single one Alan looked guilty, even on the ones that were true.
'So therefore I think his thing is that he looks guilty and the more he mucks up and the more he sweats and the more he can't get out loud 'I'm a Faithful', then the more it plays in to 'Alan's just being Alan'. And I think that's going to be the genius.'
The TV star was recently banished from the Scottish castle, missing out on winning £100,000 cash for her chosen charity.
The mum-of-two said the whole experience was 'transforming'.
'The whole experience has been transforming,' she explained. 'It's been lovely to meet people from different worlds. After five nearly six years of caring for someone you love, your world goes very in and you're literally thinking every minute of the day 'have I done the medication what happens next, where do we need to go'.'
Kate also revealed which celebrity hasn't joined the Celebrity Traitors WhatsApp group chat amid rumours of a cast feud.
The BBC series wrapped filming in early May 2025, with the finale set to air on November 6.
Kate said Claudia Winkleman was invited to the WhatsApp group but politely declined
The broadcaster has now revealed who declined the invite.
Speaking to The Sun, Kate said: 'The WhatsApp group is popping off all day and night, actually. It’s brilliant.
'We invited Claudia [Winkleman] to join the group because we all adore Claudia, obviously. But she said no.
'She said, "You need a place that’s just for you guys now that you’re out and you know what’s going on."'
