Carlos Gu on winning Strictly, smelling London, and leaving China.
White Wine Question Time
Biscuit Jim
4.5 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Born in Shanxi province, China in 1993 Carlos Gu was raised by his single mother who supported his dancing ambitions which saw him become a Chinese National Champion dancer.
He’s been competing on a global stage since a young age but in 2022 he received the phone call he’d dreamed of – an invitation to join Strictly Come Dancing and a move to London – somewhere he’s always imagined could be his home.
His new adopted home gave him a freedom to come-out as a gay man – something he’s described as being “reborn and to live the life that I've been dreaming of for years”
He’s about to set out on tour with fellow Strictly pro Amy Dowden – the show is called ‘Reborn 2.0’ a deeply personal show that tells the story of second-chapters and new beginnings.
The timing is perfect – as his dream gig got even better last Christmas when he partnered Karen Carney all the way to the final and lifted the glitterball trophy.
What an incredible story... cheers!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | coming up on this episode of White Wine Question Time. |
| 0:06.3 | The political phenomenon in the dance world was too much for me. |
| 0:12.8 | And they're trying to control us as a dancer, tell us to do or to not do. |
| 0:17.4 | You know, there's a lot of, I feel like there's no freedom and liberty |
| 0:20.9 | for a dancer like myself |
| 0:22.7 | to have my own decisions. |
| 0:25.8 | That happened for me to meet Karen, |
| 0:27.9 | for Karen to teach me |
| 0:29.1 | what I lacked in myself, |
| 0:31.7 | what I lacked as a individual, |
| 0:34.0 | what I could do better as a human. |
| 0:37.1 | So it just, it makes you reflect so much. |
| 0:40.2 | My family and my mom, sometimes she would always complain, |
| 0:43.3 | and that she says, I'm a, I'm a traitor to my country. |
| 0:47.3 | Because I said, Mom, when I get off the plane, when I arrive in London and get off |
| 0:51.4 | that plane, the air even smells better. |
| 0:57.0 | So back in China, I think there's a lot of restrictions. You can or cannot say certain things online or you can't even be |
| 1:05.0 | I think you can't even be LGBTQ plus community if you're working at tele. |
| 1:10.0 | You're not allowed to verbally address those things. |
| 1:15.3 | Hello and welcome to white wine question time. |
| 1:17.9 | The podcast that asked its guests three thought-provoking questions over three glasses of wine. |
| 1:22.2 | And my guest today is the current reigning Strictly Champion, |
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