Comedian Chris McCausland has been married to his wife Patricia since 2012 and the Strictly favourite says a trip to the place the psychologist grew up once left him very confused

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Chris McCausland has won high praise from both the judges and TV viewers for his performances on the show so far.

But last week his Halloween Week Samba to Bee Gees’ classic Stayin’ Alive scored him 26 points, placing him at the bottom of the leader board. Judge Shirley Ballas felt he had “overcooked the bounce” and Craig Revel Horwood criticised the “hopping” in his routine, while Anton Du Beke highlighted the lack of fluidity.

Chris, 47, remains the favourite to take the Glitterball Trophy, with the series final taking place on Saturday, December 14. Registered blind after losing his sight to retinitis pigmentosa in his 20s and 30s, the comedian is the show’s first blind contestant.

Offscreen, the 8 out of 10 Cats star has been married to his Brazilian wife Patricia since 2012. They met 16 years ago when Patricia, from Rio De Janeiro, was working on a TV programme about the Edinburgh Festival and have a 10-year-old daughter called Sophie.

A close up of Chris in a dark shirt leaning on a desk
Chris joked he once suffered from heatstroke at the Reading Festival, meaning he had no chance in Rio ( 
Image:
Ash Knotek/REX/Shutterstock)

Chris once visited his wife’s home country – a 12 hour, 6,000 mile flight – and was pleasantly surprised by the weather. “We landed and I’m not gonna exaggerate, it was 35 degrees,” the star said of his arrival in Rio.

“I even said to my wife: ‘Not as hot as I thought it was gonna be to be honest’. A little bit hotter than I’d like at home during the summer if I was given the choice but bo***cks I’m on holiday, you make an effort don’t ya. She said: ‘It’s midnight’.”

The comedian realised his mistake the next day when the sun came up. “It was 49 degrees at Christmas,” he joked in a clip from a a stand-up gig posted on his Instagram. “Even the locals were moaning about it. I thought what chance has a Scouser got if the Brazilian people are struggling? I’ve had sunstroke at the Reading Festival.”

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell in black on the dance floor
Chris and his professional partner Dianne Buswell are favourites to win the whole contest ( 
Image:
PA)
Chris and Patricia spilled the beans on their marriage during an episode of David Mitchell’s Outsiders, which featured fellow comic Alan Davies, last year. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you in your relationship?” Alan asked, prompting Patricia to reply: “I’ll go for a good, solid nine and a half.

“And that’s not to say I don’t feel like it’s a ten. I just feel there’s always room for improvement, because we’ve got that winning mentality and that’s why we’re here.”

Patricia was shocked when she turned to see Chris feigning shock at her score, as he jokingly quipped: “You’d go nine and a half?” When she repeated her score again, the comedian shrugged and said: “Yeah nine and a half.” Patricia thanked him for agreeing, but Chris continued to wind his wife up, as he asked her again: “Nine and a half?”

Alan then poked again and asked Chris what his “real number” was, but the funny man insisted his score was the same as his wife’s to keep the peace and repeated: “Nine and a half.” However Patricia looked furious, and Alan struggled to contain his laughter as he asked the couple: “Do you fight often?”