The first ever Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland ‘Strictly Come Prancing’ event has been won by restauranteur Lynne Jones, the woman behind one of the Finnieston’s most popular seafood restaurants Crabshakk.
Lynne Jones and her partner Gregor Ewing dazzled the panel of judges, which included TV fashionista Gok Wan, with an American Smooth number. After a tense dance-off they were ultimately crowned cha-cha-champions, beating off eight other twinkle toed couples to lift the coveted Glitterball Trophy.
Gregor and Lynne first met at the launch of Strictly Come Prancing back in July, having both entered the competition without a partner. The pair, who had little dance experience, underwent nearly two months of professional training, before taking to the stage. Other contestants performing at the black-tie fundraiser held at Double Tree Hilton, Glasgow, included Heart Scotland radio presenters, Paul Harper and Lynne Hogan.
Taking its lead from the hit BBC show, SBH Scotland’s Strictly Come Prancing distinguished itself from others by opening the contest to same sex couples, with two couples of the same sex taking to the stage.
Lynne Jones and her partner Gregor Ewing, first winners of Strictly Come PrancingA total of £15,000 was raised for SBH Scotland at the glamourous event, with proceeds going to support children, young people and their families affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
Gregor Ewing said: “I am ecstatic, I can’t believe we won! Neither of us had any expectations going into the competition, we just wanted to go out and do our best. We’re over the moon that the judges liked our routine, and we can now go home with the Glitterball Trophy.”
Head judge Gok Wan said: “Just ten weeks ago, most of the contestants didn’t know their salsas from their mambos. Everyone put in an incredible effort and went from beginners to fabulous in such a short space of time, and all for a very worthwhile cause. It was so good to be a part of the experience!”
Richard Donald, event manager at SBH Scotland said: “I’d like to offer a huge thank you to all those couples who took on this challenge for SBH Scotland. This was certainly one of our glitziest events and hopefully it will inspire others to step out their comfort zones and take on a future fundraising challenge for us.”
H&C News Comment: Well done all on creating Strictly Come Prancing for raising so much money for such a worthy cause, and congratulations to Lynne and Gregor on their win.
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