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Grayson Perry wants Oti Mabuse as Strictly Come Dancing parter

Grayson Perry wants to pair up with Oti Mabuse on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

The 60-year-old transvestite artist – who has been dressing up as his alter-ego Claire since childhood – would love to take part in the BBC’s Latin and ballroom competition, but he’d rather be dressed as a man for the routines.

He told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: "Oti is fabulous. She’s a really great choreographer and I think you’re very much beholden to the choreography of the professional.

"I would want to go on as a man because a lot of those dances are incredibly sexual and, dare I say it, erotic. To do it in a dress would feel weird – maybe at Halloween I’d put on a frock."

Grayson is a huge fan of ‘Strictly’, and he admitted "every year" he tunes in and feels confident of giving it a go.

He added: "I’ve been watching Strictly since the first series and I love it. I really enjoy the show and every year I look at it and think, ‘Cor, I’d really like to have a go at that’.

"I’m pretty fit and I’m not a bad mover either. I’d still say, ‘Yes’ if I had the time."

Grayson has been open about wanting to take on the challenge in the past, and he previously revealed he’s been approached in the past.

Speaking in 2017, he said: "She [the BBC executive who approached him] said ‘we’d love you on’ and I said ‘would I be in a dress or would I be in suit?’

"Because in a way I would want to be a man because as a dancer, when I like dancing, I feel quite male. I don’t want to dance backwards in heels.

"I’m coming to terms with the fact that my body isn’t quite so brilliant as it used to be so I’d be quite happy to be one of the people who was cannon fodder now."