Dave Myers: I was a sex symbol before Strictly

Strictly Come Dancing joker Dave Myers has admitted that he was a sex symbol even before he took to the dancefloor on the BBC One show.

The Hairy Biker chef had become the unlikely star of the 2013 series with his bizarre takes on the cha cha and the paso doble - with even Darcey Bussell admitting to being 'a little bit in love' with him.

However he told the Mirror that his good fortune with the ladies was nothing new.

"I wouldn't say I'm an unlikely sex symbol," he insisted. "My wife fancies me and I've always done all right."

He added: “I’m getting lots of messages from fans too, some of them quite passionate. After the paso doble I got one tweet saying: ‘Not so much a matador as a mata-phwoar’.

“Others say they’d dance with me any time. Some of them even look as if they have got their own teeth and everything. I’m building up my lady fans – but I think I’m past my sell-by date.”

Dave - who is due to perform a waltz with partner Karen Hauer on this Saturday's show - described Strictly as 'the opportunity of a lifetime'.

"It's something completely different, outside your comfort zone, with all the support in the world. And hopefully I won’t make too much of a nelly of myself," he said.

And he added his time on the dancefloor hasn't done his health any harm either.

"I started off with a bad back and dodgy knees, but Karen has been teaching me posture, how to walk properly and stand straight.

“I’ve spent 35 years huddled over a motorbike," he pointed out, "and now my back is getting straight, my backache has gone and my knees are great."

Dave will take to the floor along with the other 12 remaining celebrities when the latest round of Strictly kicks off at 6.30pm on Saturday night.

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