Former contestant Sunetra Sarker has recalled struggling in an initial rehearsal for Strictly Come Dancing but said it led to her forming lasting friendships with some of her co-stars. The actor, now 51, competed on the BBC show in 2014. She was partnered with professional dancer Brendan Cole for the twelfth series of Strictly and they progressed through a number of weeks together before being voted out of it.
Sunetra - known for her roles on shows like Brookside and Casualty - recalled the experience whilst speaking to the Mirror this week. She spoke to us in promotion of her role as a judge for next month's JustGiving Awards ceremony. She brought up her stint on Strictly when asked about the friendships between the panelists on Loose Women , which Sunetra joined in 2021.
She expressed her appreciation for having met women from "different backgrounds" on both. Sunetra told us during our interview earlier this week: "I've been very fortunate in my life, over the years, [that I have] got to meet women I would never ever probably meet in a normal working life scenario, because they are all from different backgrounds. Strictly was the same.
" She continued: "All the women that I did Strictly with we bonded instantly on a WhatsApp group and I think it was me that was the admin. We were doing the group dances, nobody knew what we ..
. we couldn't keep up with it. We were all a bit like rabbits in the headlights.
" She said that Pixie Lott , now 33, had to leave early from the group rehearsal and was concerned about learning the routine. Sunetra told us that she offered to record the session and sent it to her colleague to help her out. "Then as we finished that class everyone was like 'Sunetra can you send it to me as well?' [So] the seven women on that day one became friends because of this one video of us all going 'I need to learn it'.
And we've stayed in touch on that group chat ever since, even to today," she revealed. Sunetra said that she would have "never met" Mrs. Brown's Boys cast member Jennifer Gibney , now 60, who is now one of her "closest friends," had it not been for the show.
She added that Judy Murray was in the group with them and that the late Caroline Flack was "massively part" of it. Mentioning Alison Hammond , she said: "[I] would never have probably had so much time in my life to sit and laugh with her." And she went on to comment: " Frankie Bridge and I are now on Loose Women together so whenever [we] are on we know we've got each other's backs.
" Sunetra spoke to us ahead of the JustGiving Awards in a few weeks. She was on the judging panel for the event, which celebrates the fundraising efforts of "unsung heroes," alongside the likes of Strictly dancer Amy Dowden . Speaking about the awards, Sunetra said: "In our world now, we do have so many unsung heroes.
Look at the Pride of Britain and how that's sort of snowballed into like as big a deal as the BAFTAs almost. People really respond to seeing goodness [especially] with so much bad in our news feeds." She said that the nominees have spent time and energy into "trying to do something really good, very selflessly".
And she said of being a judge: "It's the hardest thing ever cause it's like trying to pick the best out of a bunch of good." Sunetra added that she's herself taken "a little bit of time out" of her acting career to give to "other things" that she "cares about". She noted that she's an ambassador for the charities Sightsavers , which aims to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality for people with disabilities, and Savera UK , which aims to end 'honour'-based abuse and harmful practices.
Sunetra told us that she "really feels strongly" about them both. The GoCardless JustGiving Awards will take place at London's Roundhouse on 18 September. To find out more visit https://www.
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