Melanie Walters admits it's "terrifying" as she steps out of her comfort zone for Strictly

Melanie Walters, known to many as the beloved Gwen West on Gavin & Stacey, is stepping out onto the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom this weekend – but the actress is slightly apprehensive.

Like many of her fellow actors appearing on the show, Melanie will be taking centre stage as herself, not a character, something she isn't used to – and will be stepping far out of her comfort zone when she does this Saturday night.

"It's absolutely terrifying," Walters told Radio Times in an exclusive interview. "This is so out of my comfort zone, completely and utterly, and I think the only way I'm gonna get through it, apart from being beautifully supported [by Aljaž Škorjanec], is I will have to have a character to go on stage with and stay in that character until I go home."

Walters added that over her career she hasn't done panel shows or quiz shows, adding: "This is will out of my comfort zone. [I've] never done anything like this before, so this is a big tick box of feel the fear and do it anyway."

Across her career, Walters has built up a number of credits on stage, having starred in musicals and pantos – but none of those have trained her in dance.

"I’ve no formal dance training to speak of, my involvement in musicals and pantos have been as a character actress not a dancer, but I have always loved to dance," she told the BBC.

"We’re talking disco, not clubbing! This is such an opportunity to push my boundaries and learn some beautiful routines and show them on live television!"

As she dives into the Strictly experience, Walters is hoping to "learn a fantastic new skill and hopefully have an absolute blast doing it".

She said: "Dancing is so freeing and such a good way of expressing yourself. To have this opportunity to learn how to dance properly, from the professionals, on the most brilliant dance floor possible is almost too good to be true.

"I’m getting a weekly masterclass – unbelievable! I just want to dive into Strictly heels first and give it 100 per cent."

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 26 September at 6:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.