The first-ever same-sex couple in Denmark’s version of Strictly is blowing the competition away
Silas Holst (L) and Jakob Fauerby (R) (Instagram)
Denmark’s version of Strictly Come Dancing has broken new ground by featuring a same-sex couple on the show – and they’re now one of the favourites to win the contest.
Gay actor Jakob Fauerby and dancer Silas Holst have been blowing viewers away for weeks while also making history on the hit show, which is called Vild med Dans.
They have scored the highest in four of eight episodes in the season, Danish website BT reports.
Jakob Fauerby wants to show that two men can dance together without it being ‘a statement’ on Danish version of Strictly Come Dancing.
“I see it almost as a duty to show that ordinary people can be natural together without having to make a statement,” Fauerby told BT.
“It’s a whole new experience. It is quite overwhelming, so many write to me on social media with their own stories. I feel pretty privileged,” he continued.
He also praised his dance partner Holst, noting: “He makes sure you look good.”
It’s a whole new experience. It is quite overwhelming, so many write to me on social media with their own stories. I feel pretty privileged.
He told the website last summer ahead of the season: “I’m proud if I can help a young man or woman out there feel recognised.”
Meanwhile, he told LGBTQ Nation this week that he would never have anticipated their success on the show in his “wildest dreams”.
The men have faced criticism from some unhappy fans who have hit out at ‘unnatural’ same-sex dance.
“I had already thought that if they called me, I would ask if it was possible to dance with a man,” Fauerby said.
“So, when they called and I asked, they said it was probably something they could talk about.”
But not everyone is happy that the show has opted to feature a same-sex couple this year. The pair have reportedly faced criticism saying that having two men dance together on the show is “unnatural”. Others have wondered who is “the man” and who is “the woman” in their dance partnership, while others have decried the shortage of beautiful dancing gowns as a result.
“We’re just one couple out of 160 in 16 years,” he said. “So for me, if a young boy, boy, girl, or trans person has the opportunity to see that positive representation as part of a TV show, that is empowering in itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, Strictly Come Dancing in the UK made history last weekend by airing its first ever same-sex dance between Johannes Radebe and Graziano di Prim.
Speaking about the dance, Johannes told HELLO! magazine: “I’ve never felt so liberated. For the first time in my life, I feel accepted for who I am. That says so much about the people of this country.”
