A small west Highland village is preparing for dance fever after it was announced that one of its favourite daughters, weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, is joining the Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
Excitement is mounting in Morar following the announcement and the Morar Hotel, which was owned by her family, the MacKellaigs, until the 1970s, has promised to show every episode she appears in.
Stuart Sherwood, the current owner of the Morar Hotel, said: “I am a recent arrival, but certainly she will have the hotel’s complete support.
“This is tremendous news, I think she will be a great contestant. Her father owned the hotel. She was born and brought up here until she was nine or 10 years old.
“We will be supporting her. There is a TV in the hotel reception and it will be on every night she is on. She is a marvellous personality and is well thought of in Morar. She does come back to
Morar occasionally I have heard, so we are looking forward to meeting her next time she does.”
Retired playgroup leader Hilary Runciemen, 74, remembers Carol when she was a little girl.
She said: “She was a bonnie lassie, and a nice wee girl. She was in the nest of a big family, and they were all nice. There are still a lot of MacKellaigs in Morar and they will all be supporting her.
It’s great, we all will. We are all very proud in Morar. We all think she is wonderful here.”
Wearing a white feather boa and maroon dress, Carol was unveiled on BBC Breakfast as the latest recruit to the hugely popular show.
She said: “It feels really exciting, it doesn’t even feel real yet, we haven’t started dancing or training or anything yet.
“I think all the dancers are amazing but I do have a soft spot for Aljaz Skorjanec.”
When asked if she has a favourite dance, she said: “I can’t dance, I’ve only done country Scottish dancing so I don’t have a favourite dance, but I like the look of ballroom.”
Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, broadcaster Jeremy Vine, former Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote, EastEnders actress Kellie Bright and newsreader Katie Derham have already been confirmed as her dance rivals.
The 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing begins on BBC1 in September.