Russell will grant you some wishes

THE FABULOUS Russell Grant will be starring in Aladdin at Milton Keynes theatre this Christmas.

Fresh from his brilliant stint on Strictly Come Dancing, Russell will join fellow Strictly alumni Camilla Dallerup and Anita Dobson as the Genie to Gareth Gates’ Aladdin.

Despite suffering from a knee injury and a bout of flu, Russell found the time for a chat with Curtain Call about his upcoming performances.

Russell said: “I am really looking forward to the pantomime. I’ve done about 20 pantos before but I’ve never played this role.

“I went for my costume fitting on Monday and was so impressed with Milton Keynes, it’s such a stylish theatre. The costumes are fabulous, really beautiful. It’s really sumptuous.”

Although he says he won’t be bringing the canon or the bull from Strictly into the theatre, Russell will be dancing the Samba, his favourite dance, to Kylie Minogue’s ‘Better the Devil You Know’. Kylie is a big fan of Russell and his dance partner Flavia Cacace on the show.

Russell said: “Nothing can be more nerve-wracking than dancing for 12 million people on live TV. Theatre is very different as it’s more intimate.”

Russell will perform in Aladdin from December 20 - 24. He will also be presenting the first ever Strictly radio show on Radio 2 with his professional dance partner Flavia Cacace on December 30. The pair will play music from the show from 10pm - 12am.

To book tickets for Aladdin, which runs until January 15, visit http://www.atgtickets.com/Milton-Keynes-Theatre.