In the November issue of Woman & Home we find some familiar faces in one of the articles. Carl & Lindy were chosen for an interview and a photo shot, sharing their views and love of dance. Below is the interview in full. Text and photos have kindly been provided by the magazine.

Ballroom Blitz

Carl & Lindy in Woman & Home

Lindy Sinclair, 54, lives in Berkshire with her partner, Carl, 48. She runs a development company, and Carl is a personal trainer. I grew up watching the old-style show, Come Dancing, and I was mesmerised. For years, I talked about it to Carl, and for Christmas 2008, he bought six dance lessons for us both with two ex-professional champions.

Neither of us had any dance experience and I panicked we wouldn’t be able to cope with the steps. But as soon as the music started, I was desperate to learn. Afterwards, we couldn’t stop dancing around the house – if anyone had looked in, they would have thought we were crazy!

After those six sessions, we started having weekly private lessons, and we learned the basic footwork of ten dances, from the Waltz to the Quickstep. But however much we practised, we kept forgetting the moves, and our teachers suggested we enter a competition to help us remember them. We were surprised, as we were complete beginners. Just the thought gave me butterflies, but we wanted to get better, so we said yes.

We started with a local competition and almost ruined one of the group dances when we started moving the wrong way around the room and nearly crashed into another couple.

We’ve since taken part in many more competitions, and it’s amazing how much faster we pick up the steps now.

[quote]It all started when Carl bought me six dance lessons as a Christmas present.[/quote]

In 2011, we qualified for our first ISTD Grand Finals at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, which has the largest ballroom in Europe. I had a striking neon dress made for it, and I really felt like I was on Strictly Come Dancing.

Carl and I both have individual lessons now, and we do a Thursday class together with other couples too, ranging in age from late teens to sixties. We’ve met some wonderful people – every October, the dance school holds the Black and White Gala Ball with a live band and dance display by a professional couple – it feels as if we have a whole new social calendar.

Now, when I sleep, I dream of heel turns, hesitations and hockey sticks, and occasionally even find myself dancing down the aisle in my local supermarket – I’m completely infatuated.

I love that I have the confidence to get up and dance. I finally feel like a “proper” dancer, and I hope there will be many more years of dance fever before I hang up my shoes. dancerite.co.uk