Ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips says his Strictly partner Alexis Warr is far 'scarier' than Jose Mourinho

Published: 00:30 BST, 11 October 2026 | Updated: 01:30 BST, 11 October 2026

Former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips was once famously given a lengthy set of demanding rules by his then manager José Mourinho.

But the Strictly Come Dancing star says his professional dance partner Alexis Warr is far 'scarier' than the Portuguese coach, who he played under at Chelsea in the mid-2000s.

The ex-England winger, 44, who is tipped to be the next elimination from the BBC One show, told The Mail on Sunday: 'I would say Alexis is most probably scarier.

'But Mourinho is unpredictable, so you never know when it's coming. I'm kind of prepared for when Alexis is coming, so I'll just be like, alright, I'm just done. I'll do it again. And it's scary.'

When he was in charge at Stamford Bridge, Mr Mourinho laid down a strict set of rules for his squad, which included a zero tolerance for lateness and fines for players not behaving.

Wright-Phillips, the adoptive son of former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright, said his father had no idea how tough the show was until he watched him training.

Despite calling his son's first dance 'stiff', the TV pundit gave him words of encouragement.

Wright-Phillips said: 'He's good. He came and watched us the other day. He had a laugh with us, and it's almost like I know him like clockwork. I said to everybody - 'Just give him 3 minutes'.

Ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips (left) says his Strictly partner Alexis Warr is far 'scarier' than Jose Mourinho

When he was in charge at Stamford Bridge, Mr Mourinho (left) laid down a strict set of rules for his squad, which included a zero tolerance for lateness and fines for players not behaving

'It was brilliant and amazing having him there and then seeing in many ways how tough it was, even though he was having a laugh with it. But he understood the complexities of the routine that I was learning and how complicated and hard it actually is.'

Wright-Phillips said his former teammate John Terry would make a great addition to the dancing series and praised his moves.

The pair played together at Chelsea as well as England and they were often seen out together in London nightclubs.

Wright-Phillips said: 'He is actually a very good dancer. And I've seen him in action quite a few times.

'I don't know about him doing it out, how I'm doing it live in front of an audience, a load of cameras around you, shown to 8 million people. Don't know if he'll do that, but I know he's got a bit.'

Wright-Phillips, who danced a Quickstep to I'm a Believer by The Monkees last night, added that his football mates have thrown their support behind him in his WhatsApp groups.

He said: 'They just want me to show everybody what they've met and been with for the last 10 years.

'They want everybody else to see that person of me, well, that version of me, it's coming.

'But still I'm way out of my comfort zone, so it's learning to basically transfer how I was from the football pitch onto say the dance floor with all different people in the audience.'