BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Sarah Hadland reveals Blackpool 'trauma' and Vito Coppola performance worry

Sarah Hadland has revealed why a trip to Blackpool when she was younger has left her "traumatised" as she prepares to return with Strictly Come Dancing.

The actress will be in the seaside town this weekend after she and her dance partner Vito Coppola made it through to week nine of the BBC One dance contest last weekend.

Last Saturday night (September 9), Vito and Sarah performed the American Smooth to Proud by Heather Small, a song which Sarah's character often sang in the hit BBC comedy show, Miranda.

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They were awarded a very respectable 33 out of a possible 40 points by the judges, who appeared to have mixed opinions with Craig Revel Horwood criticising Hadland’s hand positions and Shirley Ballas asking her to focus on "neater, smaller details".

Despite the divided comments, Vito and Sarah safely made it through to another week in the competition and the excited pair will perform a couple's choice routine to Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue in the world-famous Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.

But Sarah doesn't have the fondest memories of the seaside town from her own childhood after a being dragged under a donkey "like something in a horror film".

She said: "My mum took me to Blackpool when I was a little. We got there and we did the rollercoaster... when our photograph came through everyone had their arms in the air but I'm nowhere to be seen. I'm in the brace position, probably screaming, brace, brace. After that, my mum took us to go on a little donkey ride on the beach.

"I got on a donkey but it got spooked. I swung under the donkey and was dragged with my face in the sand. This donkey was called something like Brenda. It's like something in a horror film. After that, I think I was a bit traumatised and just came home."

Despite her terrifying day out, the 53-year-old actress is "so excited" to be performing on the Blackpool Tower Ballroom's iconic sprung dance floor. She added: "I'm quite a bouncy person and Vito [Coppola] spends a lot of time telling me to stop being so bouncy."

"He says I'm like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. But then he's quite bouncy too, but he can control it. I'm worried that I'm going to have to be even less bouncy. To actually dance on it will be amazing."

The Miranda star also described the chance to perform at the legendary venue as "a huge privilege". She said: "How many people who are not professional dancers can say that they've competed on the ballroom at Blackpool? That's just crazy. There is added pressure because you've got the size and the scale, the privilege is just going to make me absolutely go for it."