Strictly's Chris McCausland reveals brutal heckle at early gig that was 'very funny'

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Chris McCausland once recalled being heckled by an audience member whilst on stage at a stand-up gig earlier in his career as a comedian

Stand-up comedian Chris McCausland once revealed that he was heckled by an audience member after he disclosed that he's blind, with him saying that it was "very funny".

Chris, 47, who's spoken about his sight having deteriorated steadily throughout his life, is among the contestants on the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing. He will be the first blind contestant to compete on the long-running show.

It's the latest project in his decades-long career, which has included headline tours, appearances on Live at the Apollo and a role on EastEnders once. Chris reflected on his early comedy career in an interview with Disability Horizons a few years ago, which has attracted attention amid his stint on the new series of Strictly, which launched last weekend.

During the interview, he recalled being heckled at one of his first comedy gigs some years ago. Chris - who's shared that he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was younger - said it came after he disclosed his blindness.

Asked if he's had any "unusual" or "strange" interactions with audiences, Chris told the outlet: "Years and years ago when I was quite new to comedy, I remember walking out on stage and doing a first joke that broke the ice about being blind, when somebody in the audience shouted out pantomime style 'we're behind you!'" He added: "It was very funny."

Chris has referenced being blind at gigs over the years and spoke about his experience on the launch episode for Strictly's new series, which aired on Saturday. He shared: "My eyesight deteriorated steadily from birth. I'm 47 now so I'd say I've probably been y'know blind for about 25 years."

During the pre-recorded episode, it was announced that Chris has been partnered with professional dancer Dianne Buswell for the latest series of the BBC show. He joked: "We're gonna make mistakes. We're gonna have a laugh about them and then we're gonna turn up [in the studio for the live show] and show you all the mistakes we've learnt."

Chris previously teased what kind of style he might bring to the ballroom, telling the Mirror: "I think what you're going to get from me is a certain degree of non-conformist dancing because I won't be able to see the precision of what I'm trying to achieve. I think there's going to be, by default, a certain degree of my own version more so than other people because how precise can somebody be teaching me in four or five days. It would be so much easier to watch and see what you're trying to achieve. We'll see, it might work in my favour. It might not."

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