
More than the Score
More Than The Score
How do you teach the World's Strongest Man to dance?
6 April 2026
24 minutes
Available for over a year
Dancing with the Stars, or Strictly Come Dancing in the UK, is a global TV phenomenon. Since 2004, the format that challenges professional dancers to turn celebrities into ballroom champions has been exported to more than 60 territories worldwide, and sports stars have been a huge part of the show's success. Athletes like Karen Carney, Shawn Johnson, Apolo Anton Ohno and Louis Smith have all triumphed underneath the glitterball, but there have been plenty of others who've struggled to translate their sporting prowess into dance stardom. So what does it take to teach a champion athlete to dance?
Back in December, More than the Score's John Bennett talked to two dancers who've helped sports stars take to the floor.
Raimondo Todaro is a five-time champion on Ballando con le Stelle, the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars, whose victorious partners have included world champion long jumper Fiona May, Olympic fencing champion Elisa di Francisca and Paralympic sprinter Giusy Versace. He reveals why he prefers working with athletes to other types of celebrities, and what it takes for them to adapt to new ways of moving their bodies. He also recalls what happened when football legend Diego Maradona took part in the show's first season.
Annika Sjöö faced one of the most unusual challenges of her career on the third season of Swedish TV show Let's Dance, when she was paired with former World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Samuelsson - but they went on to lift the title. She explains how she helped him adapt to an environment unlike anything he'd previously experienced, and reveals what it's like to get lifted in the air by someone who's more used to picking up cars and boulders.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From Formula One to netball, MMA to figure skating, and Grand Slam tennis to Diamond League athletics. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Winter Olympic champion Elana Meyers Taylor, trailblazing Samoan athlete Alex Rose and cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from football super-agents to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore
