KINGSTON resident and professional dancer Erin Boag came second in the Christmas edition of Strictly Come Dancing when she was partnered with Twickenham MP Vince Cable.

The pair were praised when they performed the foxtrot on the show, which was broadcast on BBC1 on Christmas Day.

Despite a valiant effort by the Business Secretary, he was beaten by Torchwood star John Barrowman, who took home the Christmas crown.

Ms Boag, 35, felt that Dr Cable, a social dancer, did very well and completely surpassed her expectations.

She said: "He's really a lovely guy and full respect to him for doing it, because it was a big thing for him. I wanted him to come across as himself and to have a good time. He danced well and I'm pleased for him.

"He's quite a funny guy but he's also quite a serious man because of what he does, and because of that he was very self-conscious.

"Prior to the filming, we had a bit of a chat about what he wanted to get out of the show, so I wanted him to relax a bit, but I'm glad he went out there and did it."

This was the first year that celebrities who had not been involved in the recent series were invited to take part in the festive edition of the show.

Dr Cable was up against Barrowman, EastEnders actor June Brown, comedian Ronni Acona and TV presenter Fern Britton. Because of his busy role as Business Secretary, Erin believes he did well for the amount of training he had.

She said: "He had the shortest amount of time to train out of everyone that took part. He would finish work at 9pm, come to the dance studio for 9.30pm, train for an hour and then go back for a meeting.

"He's an extremely intelligent man. When I was talking to him I could see him absorbing what I was saying, and because of his background in ballroom dancing he was a pleasure to teach. He was extremely nervous when it came to performing the dance though.

"I did expect him to fall apart on the floor, because when you're out there in front of 10 million people, a lot of people succumb to the pressure.

"He had told me that he was nervous about what judge Craig Revel Horwood would say, but he was nice, in fact I've never known him to be that nice to anyone.

"However, jokingly, he did tell Vince he thought he was leaning to the right too much."

* Erin will hold dance classes at Kingston Dance Studio, in Richmond Road, from January 31. Costing £10, the beginners class takes place from 7.30pm to 8.30pm, and the experienced class from 8.45pm to 9.45pm. Everyone is welcome and there is no need to book.