He was the surprise hit of the British TV autumn; Mark Ramprakash, the once removed son of the soil of Cornelia Ida West Coast Demerara, Guyana danced his way to fame (and fortune?) in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, the BBC progenitor of all the other clone shows worldwide including ‘Dancing with the Stars’. His name was on millions of lips.
Just one month ago – on Christmas Eve – he and professional dance partner Karen Hardy tangoed and sambaed their way to triumph in the TV series. Ramprakash became the public’s favourite and the judges’ too.
But, since that triumph in the bright lights of Christmas television, “Ramps’ has kept his own counsel. Never been interviewed. Now he has broken that silence to speak exclusively to me. On the ‘Strictly’ success” ‘It was a great thrill to win. We put in a lot of hard work but we also had the public vote’ he said modestly. That public support continued week after week as one after the other dancing celebrities from a Spice Girl to a former Manchester United goal-keeper to a TV anchor-person or two (and their professional partners) were eliminated from the competition. ‘Ramps’ and Karen ended up in the final against Matt Dawson, an International Rugby player. He recognizes their luck in getting that far. “There were probably 6 or 7 different people who could have won. We feel very lucky that the public enjoyed our performances” was his attempt at hindsight.
He paid tribute to the hard and unstinting work put in by his partner in getting him up to dancing speed. Their secret – in his view? “Hard to say but I had an outstanding partner in Karen Hardy, the professional dancer, and I am very grateful to the British public for their support.
Triumph in “Strictly’ was a month ago. Since that, weekly live trial by television has taken a back seat in Ramprakash’s life. Even now, in the midst of the English winter, he is back in training ready for his next season with Surrey County Cricket Club. His assessment of the ‘Strictly’ effect on his life. “In reality not much. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will always bring happy memories for me. Now I’m back dropping the kids to school and shopping in the supermarket
