SCOTT WATSON

AYRSHIRE DOES STRICTLY CHAMPION 2026

Gill Sherry

Scott Watson is well accustomed to performing on stage. As a singer, entertainer and panto comic he’s used to being in the spotlight. Competing in Ayrshire Does Strictly, however, meant stepping well out of his comfort zone.

“I’m a radio presenter and singer and I work on cruise ships and at holiday parks, so I’m no stranger to the stage, but I’m a stranger to not having a microphone in my hand.”

And what about dancing? Has he ever danced before?

“I had to dance as part of my Musical Theatre honours degree at the University of the West of Scotland, but it wasn’t the dancing that got me my 2:1, that’s for sure! It was the singing and the acting.”

Originally from Troon, Scott attended Marr College before heading to Stow College in Glasgow and then onto UWS. So, what made him enter Ayrshire Does Strictly? A wee bit of persuasion from his fellow radio presenters, perhaps?

“Exactly that,” he admits, before going on to tell me about his colleagues’ previous experiences. Alison Wright and Michael Smith, presenters of ‘Ali & Michael in the morning’ on Now Ayrshire Radio, have both previously taken part in Ayrshire Does Strictly, with Ali winning the trophy in 2024.

“I’d seen how much fun Michael had last year and we’d obviously heard form Ali about her winning it!” He laughs at this point, and I can almost see his eyeroll down the phone line. “When I got partnered with Leanne, the same partner as Michael, I was excited because I remember how much fun he had… so I knew it was going to be a right good laugh, which it turned out to be.”

Although the partnering is decided in advance, Scott explains that each partnership selects its own music, its own style of dance and its own training schedule.

“The advantage me and Leanne had is we had five different styles of dancing throughout our routine. That genuinely came from me admitting that I didn’t know which style I could dance. She just threw everything at me, it was amazing!”

Understandably, Scott is full of praise for Leanne: “She made it such a laugh. The whole experience was really enjoyable. She asked me what songs I wanted to dance to then made the routine from those songs. It was proper teamwork. I’m just glad it came across so well to the audience.”

It absolutely did. The pair were beaming throughout the entire routine and their smiles were returned by every single member of the crowd. It’s hard to believe that Scott was so nervous.

“I’m used to having a microphone in my hand when I’m performing. Being exposed in terms of people watching me dance, and that’s all they’re watching… they’re not listening to my vocals or listening to me talking. It was very, very different. I was extremely nervous.”

I reassure him that those nerves were certainly not noticeable on the night, and he takes the opportunity to share something he was once told by a minister: “The day you don’t get nervous is the day you give up. That properly sticks with me. I was nervous about going out just because I cared.”

Scott and Leanne were on top of the leader board after all seven couples had danced at The Park Hotel. Competition rules meant they then had to dance again, along with the couple in second place (Lynsey Campbell and her partner Sami), to determine the overall winner. So, was he less nervous second time around?

“The pressure was on more, because folk had seen it the first time and thought it was really good, so I didn’t want to go out and muck it up. Also, Lynsey did so great… and being able to watch the rest of the dancers was amazing, but it just made me even more nervous. But having to do it again, so soon after we’d originally danced was a weird sensation.”

Again, I reassure him that he didn’t seem nervous at all. And the judges obviously agreed because Scott and Leanne were announced as the winners of the coveted glitterball trophy.

“I couldn’t believe it,” says Scott. “I’d been told a few weeks before that a male had never won Ayrshire Does Strictly and it was only me and Martyn [Hay] this year. I remember saying to Martyn that one of us could make history this year, but it was something I’d never really thought of. You obviously try and imagine what it would be like winning but I certainly never thought I actually would!”

So, how did it feel to lift the trophy?

“The feeling I had was one of the biggest, best feelings ever. The support you could feel in the room was just incredible. And to have my name in history now as the first ever male to win it, I’m buzzing with that!”

Not to mention the bragging rights he now has over his colleague.

“Michael wasn’t too happy on the night, because Leanne had said I was the best learner she’d ever had. He was consistently getting digs!”

Banter aside, I’m sure Michael was just as thrilled to see Scott win as the rest of the audience was. It was thoroughly well deserved.

But winning aside, it’s important to remember that Ayrshire Does Strictly isn’t just about dancing. The whole purpose of the competition is to raise money for The Killie Community.

“They’re an incredible charity,” says Scott. “I do a bit of work with them… I host a sports show on Now Ayrshire Radio and I went into the club and built a great relationship with the people in the football club and that’s run down to The Killie Community. I now host Football Memories for people with dementia or their families where they get a former Kilmarnock player to come in and I interview them. So I’ve done a bit of work with them in different ways and getting to do Ayrshire Does Strictly for them was a great experience. I loved raising money for them.”

Which just leaves me with one final question. Will he continue dancing?

“I’ll definitely carry on dancing. I’m doing my own show in Kircaldy in February and I’m hoping to do my own one-man-show in Ayrshire very soon. I suppose I’ve got to now include some dancing!”

Scott is delighted to confirm that Leanne has already agreed to take part in his Kircaldy show and is keeping his fingers crossed she’ll also agree to dance with him when he takes to the stage in Ayrshire.

What a show that would be!

If you’d like to see Scott’s winning routine, you can see the dance in full on his Instagram account (@scottwatson_1). And whilst my own last words are those of congratulations, Scott finishes off with a few words of thanks.

“Massive thanks to the radio station for their support and to McCallum Bagpipes for donating the kilt. And a big thank you to the rest of the dancers who made it so enjoyable. Before the competition got underway, we had such a laugh backstage. It was just a great day and to win it topped it all off.”