Vic Pendleton: 'I'm a better loser than winner'

Vic Pendleton: 'I'm a better loser than winner'
Vic Pendleton: 'I'm a better loser than winner' (Image credit: PA)

Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton says she's better at dealing with losing than winning, and there won't be any blubbing if she fails to impress Strictly judges. The gold medal-winning cyclist has become noted for her occasional teary outbursts. Victoria, 31, said: "I think I'm probably a better loser than I am a winner, to be perfectly honest. "For me getting emotional, it's mainly about the relief at the Olympics. When you work so hard for something that you can't guarantee and it finally comes together, you can't help but get emotional about it, it just means so much." The 31-year-old sportswoman said she felt a lot less pressure in BBC1's Strictly than competing in the Olympics. Speaking at the recording of Saturday's launch show, she said: "It's definitely a lot less pressure. There's no expectation here so I think if I last a couple of weeks, I'll be really pleased. I'm going to just enjoy it." Victoria is tipping fellow Olympic star Louis Smith to outperform her in the competition. The 23-year-old silver-medal winning gymnast is already incorporating his acrobatic skills into his dance moves. Victoria said: "Louis is going to be a very strong contender in the competition, he's got some serious skills already. I think he's going to go very far in the competition - further than me." Viewers will see the 14 celebrities take to the dancefloor on Saturday at 6.30pm and will learn which professional has been paired with them.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.