The first celebrity contestant for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing has been announced as Chris McCausland, making him the show’s first registered blind contestant. Following months of allegations of a culture of bullying behind the scenes, the show’s producers have announced the 47-year-old as its its first contestant. McCausland regularly features on panel shows including Have I Got News For You , 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown , and QI .
In 2021, the show’s first deaf contestant, Rose Ayling-Ellis, won Strictly ‘s glitterball trophy. McCausland came to the acting and comedy game slightly later in life. A Liverpool supporter, McCausland was born in West Derby in 1977 but has lived in Surbiton, near Kingston upon Thames, since 1996, after moving there to study at Kingston University.
He now lives with his wife Patricia and daughter Sophie. Originally graduating from university in software engineering he began working as a web developer, but later switched to sales. However, in 2003, in his twenties, his eyesight began to fail, brought on by a hereditary disease called retinitis pigmentosa which causes gradual degeneration of the retina.
McCausland decided to perform his first stand-up comedy in 2003. From here his career snowballed and he landed the role of Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too! . He now regularly appears at comedy venues around the UK, including The Comedy Store.
In between some commercial work, he appeared in three series of At The Comedy Store in 2.