Sir Brian May, 77, turned down BBC Strictly as wife Anita Dobson shares admission after taking part in show
Queen guitarist Sir Brian May has declined an invitation to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, his wife Anita Dobson has revealed.
The 77-year-old rock legend was approached by BBC executives to join the celebrity dancing competition but turned down the opportunity.
Dobson, 76, who competed on Strictly in 2011 and finished in eighth place, explained: “They asked Brian as well, but it’s not his thing,” she told the publication.
The actress and former EastEnders star partnered with the late professional dancer Robin Windsor during her stint on the programme. Her revelation comes 14 years after her own appearance on the popular BBC One series.
Reflecting on her own Strictly experience, Dobson admitted she was never a natural dancer despite her successful run on the show. “No, I was never a dancer,” she continued to Best magazine.
The Doctor Who actress explained that she hasn’t danced since her appearance on the programme.
When asked if she still practises the skills she learned on Strictly, she responded: “I was just one lucky girl.
“I could carry a tune – I’m not a singer, and I could move well, and I’ve got that musical thing where I’m very upbeat and happy, so I’ll have a go.”
Despite not considering herself a dancer or singer, Dobson’s positive attitude and willingness to embrace the challenge saw her progress through several weeks of the competition alongside Windsor.
May’s decision to decline Strictly aligns with his selective approach to opportunities throughout his career.
The guitarist has previously turned down collaborations that don’t match Queen’s values.
Speaking to MOJO Magazine, May revealed the band once rejected a gangster rap artist’s request to sample their music.
“We have stopped them being used to promote violence or abuse, during the heyday of gangster rap when someone wanted to sample it in a song, we thought was abusive to women,” he explained.
The rock legend added: “But otherwise, our songs are for everyone. All art is theft.”
The guitarist recalled to the publication how the band occasionally vetoed ideas from their late frontman Freddie Mercury.
He came in one day and announced, ‘I’ve got this amazing idea. You know Michael Jackson has just put out this album called Bad?
“Well, listen What do you think about us calling our next album Good?'” May recounted.
The band diplomatically steered Mercury away from the suggestion. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘Well, maybe we should think about it, Freddie’,” May remembered.
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He reflected: “It wasn’t one of his world-shattering ideas, but looking back, maybe we were wrong…”
The album was eventually titled The Miracle when it was released in 1989.