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We caught up with our professional dancer Brian Fortuna to talk about his first season on Strictly and to get some expert tips and advice...

How would you describe your first season on Strictly?

My first season on Strictly has been fantastic! I expected to be a little bit homesick but everyone, from the production crew to the dancers, has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. Then to be accepted by the public on top of that has just been a dream come true. So I've got say my first Strictly experience has been absolutely wonderful.

What advice would you give our remaining celebrities?

Work hard! Work hard and stay focussed because we're at the point in the competition where the couples have to learn two dances and on top of that the competition is getting Strict! (no pun intended). So they need to get proper rest and eat properly because those are the things that will keep them going.

What qualities do you need to be a good Latin dancer?

It usually helps to be on the slightly shorter side. You need to be athletic, rhythmical and have the ability to connect with your partner.

Which would you say is the hardest dance for our celebrities to learn?

I think it would have to be either the Jive or Samba. Jive because you need to have a lot of bounce in the supporting leg, which is very difficult for the beginner to do. The Samba is very technical, especially for someone who's just learning to dance. The fact that the celebrities learn these dances in a week is mind-boggling! It would take the average beginner much longer to learn the dances.

What's the first thing you teach a dance beginner?

It totally depends on who they are, where they're coming from and what they want. People learn for different reasons - whether learning to dance socially or competitively. I like to find out what they want to get out of dancing. Most importantly for the first lesson is that they have fun! I think it's my responsibility as a teacher to share my love of dance with other people, and so I try get that across in whatever way works best.

Did you always want to be a professional dancer?

Not always. I grew up in a dancing household - my mother was a professional dancer and my dad produced CDs in the business, so it's always been around. I didn't grow up like other kids - while a lot of them were playing sports, I was travelling to different dance competitions, which has been cool because I've had the chance to meet people from around the world and experience loads of different cultures. There was a short period when I was a young teenager when I was into inline skating. I did also study Business Marketing at university. But my passion for dance has always brought me back.

What's been the proudest moment in your career?

Making my parents proud. I've done a lot of really amazing things in the last few years, including the Oscars and both Dancing with the Stars and now Strictly Come Dancing. But the best thing has been seeing that my parents are proud of me.

What is it you love about dancing?

There're so many things I love about dancing. I get to be around and dance with beautiful women every day. I get to travel and experience lots of different cultures - and I'm multilingual as a result.