ONE of Strictly Come Dancing’s veteran professionals is hoping to give audiences a night to remember when he brings his solo tour to the Black Country.

Brendan Cole will kick off his 2016 tour with one night at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre on January 29.

Speaking to the News, Brendan said he cannot wait to get back out on the road as he returns to the Midlands during his sixth year of touring.

“I was only just talking to my director and we were saying how excited we all are to be getting back out on tour again,” said the 39-year-old.

“And as much as it pains me from being away from my family, being on tour with the guys here is great and we end up with our own kind of family atmosphere.

“There’s also nothing like the buzz you get when dancing live on a theatre stage, especially in one like Wolverhampton.

“It is a great theatre and a lovely building, with beautiful architecture and one we’ve performed at before and got a really great reception and response from the audience.

“It will also be the first show of the tour and for the first night you don’t want somewhere too big as you want to fill it, but you don’t want it too small either and Wolverhampton really does fit the bill for that. We have just been told that tickets are almost sold out so that’s really good news.”

The dancing star said his upcoming ‘A Night To Remember’ show will be “bigger and better” than his previous tours with “something for everyone”.

“It is a full production with 22 dancers on stage and a number of live musicians,” he said. “We have a couple of the same core cast members, but it is a pretty big show compared to past years.

“It was very important for me to keep the show as diverse as possible and make sure there is a little something for everyone – it’s not all latin and it’s not all ballroom.

“It will be a pretty full on show, but there will be parts when it is interactive with the audience and I will have questions from them, as I think hours of constant dancing and music would get a bit tedious.

“All my time on tour I have been trying to develop a tour which is worthy of the big stage, but a show that will be intimate as we still want the audience to feel a part of the performance.”

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After 13 years on Strictly, Brendan said he still loves that he can take a break from the TV show and get out on tour to meet his fans and receive some ‘unusual’ gifts.

He said: “I have had undergarments thrown at me, and some of them were a little larger than I might have been expecting!

“Some of the nicest things you get given are usually from children who have personally made you things, or created drawings for you. I do keep everything I get given as gifts do mean a lot to me.

“I’m just delighted that as a 39-year-old I can still go out and do the thing I love most.”

Brendan was nicknamed the ‘bad boy of ballroom’ when he started on Strictly 13 years ago but he feels he had matured over the years, especially following the birth of his daughter Aurelia.

“I think becoming a father is the thing that has changed me most,” he admitted. “When I started Strictly I was in my mid 20s and I was a bit immature, but now I’m older I know which battles are worth fighting for and what matters most in life which is family.

“I am very proud of my theatre shows and my business, but I also love doing the TV stuff and being on a lot of different shows.

“Being a judge on Strictly is not something that has ever been offered to me, but it would be a lovely role to have an is something I would be interested in.

“At the moment though I’m really enjoying touring with my show and getting to spend time with my little girl.”

With the Strictly final only three weeks away, who does the veteran star expect to take home the glitter ball trophy?

Brendan said: “I do have a favourite, but I’m not going to tell you who it is as that would not be fair to all of them who are left as they are all great.

“It’s great for the show this year that there are still 4 or 5 people still in the running.

“Helen is very, very good and I don’t think she is appreciated enough by the judges compared to some of the other celebrities; Georgia has been top of the leader board a few times and just seems to be getting better week on week; Jay is brilliant and looks like a dancer, and Kellie is great too.

“They are all at a very good standard and the person at the top of the leader board changes every week which is great for the show as it keeps it interesting, which is something it hasn’t always been in previous years where it became predictable.”

Tickets for Brendan Cole’s Grand Theatre show cost between £23.50 and £38.50 and are available from the box office by calling 01902 429212 or visiting www.grandtheatre.co.uk