JJ Chalmers 'felt like he was playing a character' amid Strictly criticism

dailyrecord.co.uk:

BBC Olympics host JJ Chalmers has opened up about dealing with criticism and preconceptions from the public.The former royal marine and Invictus Games medallist turned broadcaster is currently presenting the Paris Olympics 2024, however four years ago, he showed fans a different side to him as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.During his time on the show, the 37-year-old faced online abuse from trolls criticising his dance moves and admits at times it was hard not to take it to heart.Reflecting on this period, he shared: "It's so funny, when I did Strictly for example, people will form an opinion about you and think that you're...

I don't know, something negative because you can't dance the Paso Doble."He described his experience on Strictly as "an eye-opener" due to its huge popularity and the amount of attention it brought, adding: "So yeah, people are saying stuff about you all the time and again they're judging you based on something which, the whole point of, is that you're not meant to be good at it."Regarding people's preconceptions of him, JJ added: "I have a little bit of an understanding of what it's like to exist in a world where people know something about you, before you've even met them.

That's the big thing, how you are perceived."I understand that, not just it by it happening to me, but because I work in media, so I understand how powerful what we say can be."He continued to explain that as soon as something is edited, "it is essentially scripted to some degree", adding: "Even something like Strictly, it's edited so the whole narrative is not being said, like you are playing a character immediately."Four years on from his Strictly stint, JJ believes he's warmed to the public more through his