Strictly's Chris McCausland reveals he almost became a SPY after applying to MI5 'for a laugh' when his eyesight deteriorated before embarking on comedy career Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected] By Niomi Harris For Mailonline Published: 01:21, 24 September 2024 | Updated: 01:54, 24 September 2024 e-mail 19 shares View comments Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland told how he almost became a spy after losing his vision due a hereditary condition. The comedian, 47, who suffers with genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa that causes loss of vision, made his debut on the BBC show on Saturday, where he dazzled fans with not only his dance moves but his wicked sense of humour too.
While Chris is known for many as a stand-up comic , his career started off on a quite a different path as he came very close to working at M15. Before turning to comedy, Chris found himself in the running for the unlikeliest job, after having applied for the secret service 'just for a laugh' when his sight began to really decline. Speaking in a resurfaced interview, the TV star noted that he did 'quite well' in the application process and even made it down to the final 30, before being let down gently due to his eyesight.
Strictly Come Dancing star Chris McCausland told how he almost became a spy after losing his vision due a hereditary condition. Chris came close to following in the footsteps of fictional spy James Bond [Pierce Brosnan pictured] - though he notes being a spy in real life is nothing like the career of 007 Chris started out as a web developer before moving onto sales as his eyesight deteriorated, however, before landing his sales gig, he threw caution to the wind and applied to be a spy. He told Radio 4’s Saturday Live: 'I started applying for crazy stuff, just for a laugh — so I applied to MI5.
They need to recruit just like anyone else. They have a graduate scheme and they were looking for spies. So I put my application in.
'I don’t know if I am allowed to say this, but a spy isn’t a James Bond character. A spy is somebody who runs agents, members of the public with information. 'So you’ve got to go out and meet them in staked-out locations and trade information, and that’s what they were looking for.
'I put the application in and, before you know it, I was down to the last 30 out of 3,000 before they came to their senses.' Detailing how he progressed through the process, he continued: 'I went through a lot of different stages, from the psychometric tests through to a full-day assessment, where I had to sift through all this information and identify the threat and have a meeting with the surveillance team. I did quite well.
' However, the star told how how he was eventually declined for the role due to his visual impairment, with Chris recalling that he was glad that he wasn't given the job. He explained: 'Basically, if there had been a bomb, it would have taken me a little bit too long to find out who had it. The comedian, 47, who suffers with genetic disorder retinitis pigmentosa that causes loss of vision, made his debut on the BBC show on Saturday, where he dazzled fans with not only his dance moves but his wicked sense of humour too Before turning to comedy, Chris found himself in the running for the unlikeliest job, after having applied for the secret service 'just for a laugh' when his sight began to really decline Speaking in a resurfaced interview, the TV star noted that he did 'quite well' in the application process and even made it down to the final 30, before being let down gently due to his eyesight [pictured in 2009] 'I don’t want to live in a country that would give me that job! Sometimes I think discrimination is perfectly acceptable.
' After nearly landing a job at MI5 and working in sales, Chris soon embarked on a career as a stand-up. After trying his hand in comedy during a new act comedy night in 2003, he 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.
'I put the application in and, before you know it, I was down to the last 30 out of 3,000 before they came to their senses' However, the star told how how he was eventually declined for the role due to his visual impairment, with Chris recalling that he was glad that he wasn't given the job In a previous interview, Chris detailed how he didn't 'notice' he was going blind as he'd been doing so since he was born 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. Read More Will Chris McCausland SAVE Strictly? How comic is already a fan favourite with slew of viral gags 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.
In a previous interview, Chris detailed how he didn't 'notice' he was going blind as he'd been doing so since he was born. He told inews.co.
uk : 'My grandmother had it, and my mum. Basically, I’d been going blind very slowly since I was born, and so didn’t even really notice it happening.' He went on to compare the scenario to: 'the frog in the pan of boiling water'.
Strictly's first live show kicked off last week, but fans are already declaring him their winner after thanks to his impressive skills and brilliant one-liners. However, Chris recently admitted being 'terrified' he'd make a fool of himself on the BBC show after becoming it's first ever blind competitor. Chris recently admitted being 'terrified' he'd make a fool of himself on the BBC show after becoming it's first ever blind competitor (pictured with partner Dianne Buswell) Chris admitted being nervous about signing up to appear on live TV every Saturday night, and worried how his disability would effect his performance He wrote: 'I mean, how can I possibly have confidence in my ability to do something when I can't see the entirely visual thing that I'm being asked to do?' WHAT IS RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA? 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.
Common symptoms include difficulty seeing at night and a loss of side (peripheral) vision. RP is an inherited disorder that results from harmful changes in any one of more than 50 genes. These genes carry the instructions for making proteins that are needed in cells within the retina, called photoreceptors.
Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreased peripheral vision. Source: National Eye Institute Advertisement Chris confessed to being nervous about signing up to appear on live TV every Saturday night, and worried how his disability would effect his performance. He wrote in The Telegraph : 'I mean, how can I possibly have confidence in my ability to do something when I can't see the entirely visual thing that I'm being asked to do?'.
Before sarcastically adding: 'On top of that, stick it on live TV where failures are there for everybody to see and where the chance of a generous edit is absolute zero, and what could possibly go wrong?'. Chris who shares shares daughter Sophie, 10, with his wife Patricia, said the youngster feared he'd fall off the dance floor. 'I showed my 10-year-old daughter a clip of the show and asked her if I should do it.
'No, Daddy' she said. 'You'll fall off the stage and break your leg. She's a joker at heart, but she's got a point'.
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 NHS BBC Strictly Come Dancing James Bond Share or comment on this article: Strictly's Chris McCausland reveals he almost became a SPY after applying to MI5 'for a laugh' when his eyesight deteriorated before embarking on comedy career e-mail 19 shares Add comment.
