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Raise Your Game: When did you know that dance was for you?

Brendan Cole: It was a process actually. Mum dragged me along when I was young and it's been one long learning curve. When you've got a talent for something people start stroking your ego saying 'You were very good, well done today,' so I became a dancer. After a while it was all I thought about. It was my dream and my focus.

RYG: Were you always a brilliant dancer?

BC: I was never perfect - I'm still trying. Mum took me and my brother along to the dance studio. We were a very musical family and she wanted us to learn how to stand and how to dance, just as a social skill more than anything else. We were never pushed - it was a case of 'Let's see how you feel about it.'

RYG: What makes a good dancer?

BC: I think, like any sportsperson, you need to be driven and focused on what you do. In terms of dancing ability, rhythm obviously helps along with general body awareness. You think about what you do and want to be better.

RYG: Can you teach anybody to dance?

BC: I used to think you could teach anybody to dance, but I've been proven wrong on a couple of occasions. If you've got the right mental attitude, and a little ability, you can learn to dance. It all depends on how much you want to put into it. Some people are going to be better at it than others, but some people are born with natural abilities. However, I've seen people without natural ability get to a very high level of dance, so it is possible.

RYG: What skills can you gain from dance?

BC: This is why I think dance is such a great thing. It's a social skill first of all. You're interacting with people and it's like you're in conversation with your partner, but without words. You've got to use your body to create something.

You learn body language, rhythm and music. You also learn how you stand. Posture is so important in everyday life. If you go for a job interview you need a confident posture. I learnt this through dance. It changes your everyday appearance. Some people would call that arrogance, but it's just confidence. That's what I've learnt from dance.

RYG: Would you like to see dance being taught in schools?

BC: It would be incredible to start teaching it in schools. I'm surprised it's not being done, considering all the dancing that's been on television. It'd be a great way of getting kids off the sofa and getting them healthy. I believe it should be part of the everyday curriculum. It's a big ask to get the right teachers with the right qualifications to go into schools and teach kids these skills, but they're great skills to have.

RYG: Can you talk me through your training schedule? What does it take to stay in this sort of shape?

BC: When you're a competitive dancer, at the top of your game, it's pretty rigorous. You wake up in the morning thinking about dance. You get up, eat healthily, and go to the gym to work out. You need to get blood and oxygen pumping to the muscles.

You've got to push yourself so your body is prepared for the physical exertion of rehearsals and competition. You need to do whatever it takes to get you into peak physical condition. You practise five or six times a week for three, four or even five hours, depending what you want out of it. It's pretty full on.

RYG: There's a lot of evidence out there to suggest that, if we get kids doing this kind of exercise, they'd respond much better in the classroom. Have you seen any evidence of this yourself?

BC: Learning is about developing your mind. Fit kids are going to be much more attentive in school. You also have to eat the right things to get your mind working. It certainly helped me as a kid.

RYG: On Strictly Come Dancing when your beginner partner is given to you, where do you start?

BC: You've got to understand your partner. I think that first impression is a big one. When she walks through the door, you can pretty much tell straight away if it's a yes or a no.

RYG: That quick?

BC: Yes it's that quick. If they've got the right mental attitude you can teach them everything on the first day and they'll soak it up. If they've got the wrong mental attitude you can teach them how to walk and they won't even pick that up. It depends on the person that you're training, but as soon as they get a mental block and start saying 'I can't dance' forget about it.

RYG: When that happens how do you start breaking down those mental barriers?

BC: It's very individual. I've had reluctance, where people didn't want to be involved in the show, but there was a glimmer of hope because they had the ability. I was able to coax them round to my way of thinking. You need to push that person to the extreme to see how they respond. You know when you've gone too far, so it's about finding out what they're made of and channelling them in the right direction.

When you see a glimmer of excitement in their eyes, when they pick something up that they didn't realise they could do, that's when you've got them. It's about being able to judge people. You have to learn how far you can push and be able to correct the situation if you've gone too far. There are lots of social skills involved in teaching dance.

RYG: How do you go about learning a new routine with someone?

BC: It depends on their ability. You show them a few things so that you get an idea of what they can and can't do. Once you've got that you try and do something that suits and challenges them. You don't want to do something that's so easy that they lose interest. You want to push them.

RYG: Can you practise too much?

BC: You can be over-rehearsed. I think when you become over-rehearsed it looks 'proper'. When it's not over-rehearsed it looks exciting. You're on the edge of your seat thinking 'What's going to happen next?' It's got that magic and you can't explain what it is.

RYG: What was Colin Jackson like as a dancer?

BC: Colin was pretty damn good. He's an example of the right mental attitude - a sportsman's attitude. He may not have known all the techniques but he was willing to learn and to take criticism, willing to do whatever he could to get to that finishing line. That's why sportspeople like Colin end up being the best.

RYG: What have been the highlights of your career so far?

BC: I've got a lot of highlights and I'm pretty proud of what I've achieved. In terms of competitive dancing, the best position we got was eighth in the World. Coming from New Zealand I didn't grow up competing at a very high standard. When I came to Britain I felt very out of place. To get through the ranks and achieve something with somebody that was very special in my life was magic.

Dancing for the Prince of Japan in front of 10,000 people was great. When you see a lady crying, because you've touched her emotionally, that's pretty magnificent.

RYG: We all know your strengths but what are your weaknesses?

BC: Would I share that with you? (laughs) My weakness is myself really, just a few mental barriers. I'd hate to divulge them to the people out there.

RYG: Is there a career to be made in dance?

BC: Absolutely. You can be a great choreographer. You can be a teacher. There are so many different areas and types of dance that can be explored. There's no reason why you can't have a career as a dancer if you want one. It's very exciting, not knowing where your next job is coming from but striving for it and getting it. It means so much.

RYG: What's your favourite dance?

BC: My favourite dance is the Foxtrot. It seems like an old-fashioned dance, but if I could show you the feeling of two people coming together and gliding across the floor as one... It's a smooth, elegant movement.