GWYNEDD-based astrologer and actor Russell Grant might well have the stars on his side ahead of his Strictly Come Dancing debut, but he can also count on strong support his many fans across North Wales.
The Middlesex-born stargazer, 60, who now lives in Maentwrog near Porthmadog, said that fans across the UK had wished him well before the first show on tomorrow night (Friday, September 30) with
pro dancer Flavia Cacace - not least people in his home county.
"When I left to come down to come to London, I couldn't believe it, I had over 50 cards wishing me 'pob lwc' - it's been overwhelming," he said.
"If it all ends on Saturday, then the support and the love has been felt very, very strongly and I'm very humbled by it."
Russell told Geraint Jones about his training, new friends, and how a trip to Bangor inadvertently lead him on the path to Strictly.
Is dancing something that you've never tried before?
No. When I was losing weight - because I've lost around ten stone now - about a year ago I saw classes, it might even have been in the Chronicle actually, for salsa in Caernarfon.
I rang them up, but it was on a Thursday, and on Thursdays I tend to go to the spiritualist church in Bangor.
So I didn't go - I felt that my spiritual fulfillment was more important than my bodily one.
I never actually took salsa classes and I'm really pleased about that because one of the rules of Strictly is that you can't have lessons.
How has your training been going?
I'm enjoying every minute of it. It's not a chore, but it's very hard work!
You have to put in a minimum of 12 hours' training per week, and we've definitely been reaching our minimum.
But when we started training in North Wales, my shoes hadn't arrived from wardrobe, so I very stupidly training in trainers, so I basically buggered my foot up.
I bruised underneath the nail, split the tendon and messed up the ball of the foot - that was my first week; I started off like Calamity Jane!
That kind of reduced the amount of hours that I could do, but Flavia is just so brilliant - we kind of tempered it.
Some days we only did two hours, and on a good day when my foot's been too bad.
How important to you is the support that you've received from the cast and your fans?
Before I started, a lot of people were likening me to John Sergeant and Anne Widdecome.
I've got no problem with that, but people tend to think they know you.
The wonderful thing about my home is Snowdonia is that because I've done a good year's worth of theatre is that all the people I've worked with ask "why do they talk about you like this?"
I say: "It's because they don't know me like you do."
Home support is very important, and the fact that they know me is like a rock. I have a "craig Gymraeg" there and is a fantastic thing to have.
I did the Concert in the Castle in Beaumaris. It was lovely- there were about 200 people there and they were all saying good luck, and I can't tell you, it means so much.
How is your first dance, the cha-cha-cha, coming along?
Well, it's a revelation for me.
I'm 60 years old, and I moved to Snowdonia because I wanted to retire - I was so fat (laughs).
There wasn't much chance for me to do anything else, and I was around 25 stone.
I moved to North Wales about 13 years ago, I was just going to retire, do my astrology and theatre.
The kind of stuff that I was doing was very low key, so the fact that I'm doing this now is amazing.
I never dreamed in a month of Sundays that a) I'd lose the weight, and b) I'd be doing something that's a technique.
It requires great concentration and focus.
What it's been for me is this complete, total upside down transformation of my life - and I've only been in it for three weeks.
Have you made any new friends on the show?
My best buddy is Robbie Savage - now there's a thing!
Robbie and I had known about each other because we both have an interest in Wrexham FC
He's my best mate - we talk three or four times a day.
My other best friend - as you'd expect - is Alex Jones, so I practice my Welsh on her because I'm learning.
Robbie doesn't "siarad Cymraeg", so we teach him the odd line.
I've nicknamed us the Taffia.
My oldest celebrity friend is Lulu, who I've known for 40 years, so to see Lulu again was just fantastic.
She really was one of the first people to kickstart my career as an astrologer when I was still doing musical theatre.
I did some forecasts for her back in the seventies and they turned out to be right and she told the newspapers.
I already know Anita Dobson through Eastenders, because one of my closest friends was Wendy Richards, who passed away last year.
Anita is very musical theatre, so she is fantastic, and she's so lovely. We've been having a lot of chats about Freddie Mercury, because I used to do readings for him, and she is married to Brian May.
Someone I did know but didn't know well well was Rory Bremner. He's been very kind, and I don't think anybody realises that Rory is actually showbiz down to his fingertips.
He's very interested in operetta. My favourite operetta is Orpheus and the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach, and he's done a new version in English, so we go around singing songs from operetta.
All the shows I've gone onto, I've always left with a really close friend, so if I leave this show with new friends then to me that it part of the experience and part of the joy.
It's been lovely getting to know the pro dancers. Brendan Cole - How fantastic is he? The kindest man, very supportive.
James Jordan is this big, macho guy but he comes up and he's so kind to me.
Have you got any tips for the Strictly title?
No, not really. I get asked this all the time.
I've separated myself from astrology in this because it's too dangerous
How would you rate your chances?
It's sounds cheesey, but the biggest battle I've got is with myself, because in the long run it doesn't matter, does it?
You've got to get through that bloody dance; you've got to through that cha-cha-cha.
Catch Strictly Come Dance at 9pm tomorrow (Friday,September 30) on BBC 1.