Strictly fans hail Chris McCausland  as 'the most inspiring person'

Strictly Come Dancing viewers cheered on Chris McCausland with an epic standing ovation after the comedian gave an 'inspirational' performance for Saturday's first live show. 

The actor, 47, who is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, was quick to become a favourite already in week one - with countless fans tipping him to win. 

The BBC star displayed his impressive dance skills, surprising both fans and judges, as he and his pro partner Dianne Buswell performed a Cha Cha routine to Twist and Shout by The Beatles.

The dancing pair moved viewers with the incredible routine, which earned them 23 points.

Taking to X - formerly Twitter - Chris was flooded with touching messages and was hailed as 'the most inspiring contestant ever', with people writing: 

'I sincerely hope this doesn’t come across as patronising, but I cried all the way through Chris McCausland’s routine. He has never seen any of the dances or the colours of Strictly, but he brought so much joy & spirit, and that for me is what it’s all about. #StrictlyComeDancing'; 

'Not a fan of Strictly Come Dancing celebrity thing. But how Chris McCausland learned all those moves/ postures & avoiding partner whilst she’s swinging between alternate leg-just wow. Huge inspiration for all with different abilities cos u can’t call what he has disability';

'Chris McCausland is a national treasure and it was bloody amazing. #Strictly';

'From this moment forward, anytime I hear anyone say ‘I can’t do that’, I’m going to show them a video of Chris McCausland dance on Strictly! #inspirational #StrictlyComeDancing';

'Chris McCausland…I love this man desperately #Strictly Dianne has performed a miracle';

'Bloody hell! Chris McCausland was epic! How the actual fùck did he manage that? Absolutely amazing. He's made me cry';

'For Chris McCausland to deliver that dance there is something seriously special about Dianne Buswell. She is an incredible teacher and mentor. My mind is blown. #strictly #StrictlyComeDancing #chrismccausland #diannebuswell';

'This man is LITERALLY BLIND! Chris did a bloody amazing performance- stand up, hat off, brilliant. My eyes work fine and I couldn’t dance like that with twice as much time to prep! Congrats.'

 'You were A-maze-ing, Chris! I was speechless watching you dance tonight (in a good way!) Massive congratulations! Will be cheering you on every week xx';

'Chris McCausland was superb tonight. For Chris to dance the way he did whilst not being able to see where your arms and feet are going is extraordinary. Full credit to Dianne as well for uniquely adapting her Choreo to suit Chris's needs. She is the best female pro on #Strictly'.

Meanwhile, Saturday's episode further proved Chris is being tipped as a potential winner of the glitterball trophy by several fans.

The comedian had already won over viewers, having left them in hysterics with a string of viral gags.

The funnyman has previously detailed how he made a shock career change after losing his sight 20 years ago, forcing him to give up his job as a web developer.

After finding success with his role in the cBeebies series Me Too, he's become a fixture of the comedy scene. 

After growing up in Liverpool, Chris started losing his sight 20 years ago, between the ages of 16 and 21, due to retinitis pigmentosa, a condition which according to the NHS, sees sufferers lose their sight as the light-sensing cells of the retina gradually deteriorate.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina - the light sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. 

The NHS website explains that people with RP lose their vision as light-sensing cells of the retina gradually deteriorate.

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It is generally characterised by a black pigmented appearance of the retina when a specialist looks inside the eyes. 

Speaking about his visual impairment previously while taking part in Channel 4 series Scared of the Dark, Chris explained: 'I'm blind but I don't see black. 

'I still see light and space, I still have an awareness of the space around me, not in terms of objects and things, but in terms of the room and whether there might be something in front of me.

'It just gives you that awareness that you're taking that away from me. I'm a slave to my iPhone like everybody else. So on paper you go, 'Well, I should nail this,' but in one area I should be more practically adjusted.

'It'll be quite interesting to see how quickly everybody else gets to that point. I'm quite looking forward to being the most able bodied person for a while. It doesn't happen often.'

After losing his sight, Chris was forced to give up his job as a web developer, saying in 2012: 'I used to be a web site developer but my eyesight got worse and worse and the websites just got uglier and uglier. 

'I decided that nobody wanted an ugly website and so made the decision to get out of IT completely. 

'I ended up working in a call centre for a while just until I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and it was while I was there that I dared myself to give stand-up comedy a go… and here we are nine years later!'

After trying his hand in comedy during a new act comedy night in 2003, Chris was soon recognised for his humour after winning the Jongleurs J2O Last Laugh competition, before gaining recognition in other competitions. 

His career soon skyrocketed, going to to have a seven-year stint at the Edinburgh Fringe and an appearance on Live At The Apollo in 2018, before continuing on to make several TV appearances.

Strictly Come Dancing: Week One Scores

1. JB Gill and Amy Dowden - Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer: 31 out of 40 

2=. Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola - Quickstep to 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton: 30 out of 40 

2=. Tasha Ghouri and Alja¿ ¿korjanec - Cha Cha to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter: 30 out of 40

3=. Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe - Foxtrot to Is You Is or Is You Ain¿t My Baby by Dinah Washington: 26 out of 40

3=. Wynne Evans and Katya Jones - Samba to Help Yourself by Tom Jones: 26 out of 40

4=. Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell - Cha Cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles: 23 out of 40

4=. Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin - Foxtrot to Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes: 23 out of 40 

4=. Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas - Viennese Waltz to Beautiful Things by Benson Boone: 23 out of 40

4=. Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova - Tango to Golden by Harry Styles: 23 out of 40

5. Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu - Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder: 21 out of 40 

6. Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez - Cha Cha to Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue: 19 out of 40

7. Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk - Jive to We Built This City by Starship: 18 out of 40

8=. Paul Merson and Karen Hauer - American Smooth to Vindaloo by Fat Les: 17 out of 40

8=. Pete Wicks and Jowita Przysta¿ - Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy: 17 out of 40

9=. Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones - Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna: 12 out of 40

In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, Chris shared that he also applied to be a spy with MI5, but ended up failing to make the cut due to his eyesight.

'I got down to the last 30 out of 3,000 for MI5 selection,' he said.

'Eventually, I got refused because of my eyesight. Fair play. It's perfectly acceptable to discriminate for the safety of the nation. The job was identifying and targeting terrorist threats, which obviously you need to do in a limited amount of time.'

Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Who are the couples?

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell 

JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE 

Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk 

Paul Merson and Karen Hauer 

Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał

Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin 

Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola 

Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones 

Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez 

Wynne Evans and Katya Jones 

Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec 

Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas 

Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe 

Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova 

Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu

.