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Strictly for fun, Tom takes Chelsie on a West End twirl
Robert Mendick22.12.08
Tom Chambers went to the ball with a new dance partner last night less than 24 hours after taking this year's Strictly Come Dancing trophy.
Actor Chambers twirled with Chelsie Jones, a 16-year-old who suffers from cystic fibrosis and whose wish of a lifetime was to dance on a West End stage. The Starlight Children's Foundation, a charity which "brightens the lives" of seriously and terminally ill children, helped arrange for Chelsie to appear with Chambers at a one-off performance of Cinderella at the Piccadilly Theatre.
Chambers, 31, who is about to leave the BBC drama series Holby City, is now expected to make a fortune from his unexpected victory on Saturday night. He has already had offers for West End shows and leading roles in TV drama.
He and his dance partner Camilla Dallerup had never been among the judges' favourites and would almost certainly have been voted off in last week's semi-final but for a BBC voting fiasco which gave them a reprieve.
The public, however, appeared to love them, leaving former S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone as runners-up.
Reader views (3)
Tom was constantly undermarked. You could see that for weeks. I think that Lisa and Brendan's freestlyle dance was much better than Rachel and Vincent's, but Tom and Camilla's dance was just about the best freedance ever danced on the show. I would have preferred to see Lisa against Tom in the final as you could see they enjoyed it the most.
- Darron, London
Tom and Chelsie looked amazing up on the stage. For Starlight, Tom ensured that Chelsie's dream of dancing on a West End stage came true in the most magical way possible. It was amazing to be there to watch Chelsie's Starlight wish come true.
- Laura Kameen, London
I feel that Liza Snowdon is the worthy winner and too bad we have to rely on the viewers vote not from the professionals who actually gave Liza perfect scores for both dances.
- Elizabeth Thornton, London and france
