Happy 2011!

Ladies and gents!

Happy new year to you all. I hope you had a really great christmas and enjoyed some relaxation over the holidays. It was so good to have some time out as the past few months have been crazy! Strictly came and went really quickly but I think we can all agree it was another great series, and I was so happy to see Kara and Artem win. They had such a wonderful partnership and Kara really is a beautiful person inside and out, as well as being a very talented dancer, so she truly deserved to take home the glitter ball. I thought the standard this past series was so impressive, at times I felt like I was watching a pro routine. I loved every minute of it and there was a wonderful group of people so the atmosphere back stage was buzzing all the time. I am looking forward to spending some more time with everyone during the tour!

So I spent Christmas at Joe's in Wales. It was so amazing to have my mom with us! It was lucky she arrived on time as the snow had been bad all week and alot of flights had been cancelled. Luckily my mom's flight from LA was on schedule, which was a bit of a relief. I felt so sad for all those people that were stranded over Christmas, I can imagine it must have been a nightmare. Thank goodness the snow has gone for now, I felt like I was in Russia at times! Christmas this year was a real family gathering at Joe's as he has a huge family, we managed to fit 20 of us for lunch. There was a lot of laughter so it was very memorable and a good fun, relaxing christmas. All the children made it extra special as I love being round children at christmas time to get in the festive spirit!

Thank you for all your messages about the Christmas special which I won with the amazing John Barrowman. John took to the quick step so well and as you could tell was a real natural. He is a fantastic performer and to win with him was a lovely Christmas present, thank you everyone in the audience who voted and for the judges marks!

New Year saw Joe and I finally go to Paris. We were due to go just before Christmas but because of the bad weather we had to put it off for a few weeks. Paris really is the most beautiful and romantic city. I could walk around for hours just taking in the surroundings and stunning buildings, I definately would love to go back soon!

After the new year celebrations it was not long before we were back to rehearsals to prepare for the tour. I really am looking forward to getting on the road again as we had a great time last year and I am sure this year will be just as fun. So far the rehearsals have been really intense as we work long hours, from the morning through to 6pm most days with little breaks. We also have a really short period to put the shows together which can be quite stressful as we have all the group numbers, celeb dances as well as our solos to practice so it can be alot to take in. I have also loved working with Jimi Mistry who is my partner this time round. It is important to be around someone who you get on well with especially when you are working together alot, and Jimi is a lovely guy and great company to be around. The tour kicks off in Nottingham, so I cannot wait to get going. I hope you all enjoy the show, and let me know what you think! If you want to still try and get tickets check out the website http://www.strictlycomedancinglive.com/tour-dates-2011/

Yesterday was a really special day as it was my mom's birthday. It is the first time in 7 years that we have been together as we have always been in different countries. I wanted to make it a really special birthday for her so I made a few plans. She really did enjoy it and Joe took us out to dinner in the evening, it was lovely to be able to spend it all together.

Alot of you have been asking about shows that I will be doing with my lovely partner Robin Windsor this year! I cannot confirm any with you just yet, but I promise as soon as I know they will be posted on my web, facebook e.t.c So keep a look out. I am also going to be selling some of my dresses from previous dance shows, some which you may recognise but again I will post more on this when I have all the final information.

Well it is time to come to the end, but I will blog again soon with some more news, and by then the tour will have started so I hope to have some backstage gossip!

Love to you all.

Kristina xx