Bill Bailey has revealed his elderly father will be spending Christmas alone after new Tier 4 restrictions banned the mixing of households.
The comedian, 55, who won Strictly Come Dancing‘s coveted glitterball trophy with professional partner Oti Mabuse on Saturday night, said his win made him think of his dad, who has been isolating alone since March when the pandemic first hit.
Speaking to Strictly co-star Ranvir Singh, 43, on ITV’s Lorraine, he said: ‘It also made me think of my dad as we heard during the day about the new restrictions and about the fact that my dad who has been on his own isolating since March.
Christmas plans: Strictly Come Dancing winner Bill Bailey has revealed his elderly father will be spending Christmas alone after new Tier 4 restrictions banned the mixing of households
‘We were looking forward to seeing him at Christmas and then we thought “Oh no, we can’t do that now and he’s going to be on his own.”
‘So there was a lot of that going on as well… it almost made me want to give more in the performance, in a way.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced London and areas of South East England would enter into Tier 4 restrictions at midnight on Saturday, amid a new strain of the virus which is said to be 70 per cent more infectious.
The new restrictions closed non-essential shops and ordered people to ‘stay at home’, tightening restrictions on ‘festive bubbles’ which originally allowed three households to mix between December 23 and 27.
Thinking of family: The comedian, 55, who won Strictly Come Dancing’s coveted glitterball with professional partner Oti Mabuse on Saturday, said his win made him think of his dad
Bill also admitted that his win, where he became Strictly’s oldest ever winner after beating EastEnders actress Maisie Smith, YouTube star HRVY and Made In Chelsea’s Jamie Laing, was clouded with a tinge of sadness as he thought of his late mother.
He revealed that his mind was on his beloved mother Madryn, who he lost to bowel cancer back in 2005.
Speaking on Lorraine, he said: ‘It was quite emotional anyway as it was going to be the last time we were dancing.
‘But it did make me think of my mum, firstly, because my mum died 15 years ago and I did think about her a lot on the day.
Isolation: Speaking to Strictly co-star Ranvir Singh, 43, on Lorraine, Bill said his father has been isolating alone since March and was looking forward to spending Christmas with him
‘She loved ballroom dancing. In fact, she wanted me to take it up when I was a kid. She got me to take a couple of lessons when I was a teenager but of course, I was a teenager and I thought, “I don’t want to do ballroom dancing”.
‘But I know she would have been so proud. This would have been her proudest moment.’
Writing about his moment of victory in the Telegraph, he said: ‘When Tess called out our names as winners, I felt a mix of emotions. Elation, utter joy, excitement… and delight for Oti in making a bit of Strictly history.
‘But also a little bit of sadness, as I thought of my mum and how she’s not around to share this moment, knowing how proud she would have been.’
Bill said that his Strictly win hasn’t sunk in yet, telling Ranvir: ‘I’m still in a bit of a daze really, Ranvir.
‘I got in and we had a glass of wine. Then today, I’ve just been pottering around. Yesterday I didn’t really know what to do.
‘I’ve been going through messages and texts, lots of lovely messages from people. But no it hasn’t really sunk in yet.’
Bill chose The Show Must Go On for his showdance on Saturday and said that it’s a ‘powerful song anyway’.
Powerful: Bill chose The Show Must Go On for his showdance on Saturday and said that it’s a ‘powerful song anyway’
He added: ‘Before we knew about the restrictions I was thinking it was an anthem for our industry, the whole industry that has been so devastated by the pandemic.
‘But then I thought, no it’s more than that, it means we have to find some strength to get through this. It seemed the moment to talk about it when we came off stage.’
Through his win, he hopes to encourage more ‘men his age’ to take up dancing, continuing: ‘I think it always makes people feel nervous. I don’t want to be that guy, shuffling around.
‘My hope is that me having this success will mean more men of my age might consider taking up a dance class or maybe just getting fitter.’