Craig Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the extraordinary life of Craig Revel Horwood — dancer, choreographer, judge, author — from his Australian roots to his prominence on Strictly Come Dancing. Dive into his biography, achievements, personality, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British dancer, choreographer, theatre director, author, and television personality. Best known as a long-serving judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, he is celebrated for his sharp wit, theatrical flair, and uncompromising standards. His journey—from humble beginnings in Ballarat, Australia, through the rigors of dance training and theatrical stages, to influential roles in television and theatre—reflects both passion and perseverance.

In this article, we examine his early life, career milestones, his influence on dance and performance art, his personality and style, and the wisdom found in his quotes.

Early Life and Family

Craig Revel Horwood was born on 4 January 1965 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

He grew up in Ballarat and then Melbourne, where he began cultivating his skills in dance and performance.

In 1989, Craig moved to the United Kingdom to pursue broader opportunities in theatre, dance, and directing.

Youth, Challenges & Formative Years

Craig’s early years in dance were not without challenges. He later revealed that as a young dancer he struggled with body image issues, anorexia, and body dysmorphia, striving to conform to aesthetic norms within the dance world.

Despite adversity, he immersed himself in dance, musicals, and theatrical work in Australia before relocating to the UK, seeking bigger stages and creative outlets.

Career and Achievements

Theatre, Choreography & Directing

In the UK, Craig Revel Horwood built a deep and varied theatre résumé. He has worked on West End productions like Spend Spend Spend and My One and Only, receiving Laurence Olivier Award nominations for choreography. West Side Story, assisted Bob Avian on Martin Guerre, and was a resident director on Miss Saigon.

Other theatre credits include Hard Times – The Musical, Calamity Jane, Jus’ Like That!, and Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. Chess and has toured productions of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical.

He has directed and choreographed the Strictly Come Dancing Live! arena tour in the UK, which began in 2008 and continues annually.

Television & “Strictly Come Dancing”

Craig joined Strictly Come Dancing from its inception in 2004 and has been one of its most recognizable judges ever since.

He has often been regarded as the strictest or sharpest judge of the panel, and has sometimes drawn criticism or boos from audiences.

Beyond Strictly, Craig has appeared on or judged other TV shows: Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, Celebrity MasterChef, Loose Women, Who Do You Think You Are?, and The Masked Dancer (as a contestant).

He also choreographed the final dance scene in Paddington 2 and made his screen acting debut in Nativity Rocks!.

Authorship & Publications

Craig has published several autobiographies with Michael O’Mara Books:

• All Balls and Glitter: My Life (2008)

• Tales from the Dance Floor (2013)

• In Strictest Confidence (2018)

In 2020, he released his first novel, Dances and Dreams on Diamond Street.

Honors and Public Roles

Craig is a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society (formerly National Osteoporosis Society) — a cause close to his heart, especially given his mother’s bone disease.

In 2021, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree by the University of Winchester.

Personality, Style & Public Persona

Craig Revel Horwood is theatrical, bold, and unapologetically expressive. He uses flamboyant gestures, elongated vowels, dramatic phrasing, and memorable catchphrases — for example, he might declare, “Three words: Fab-u-lous!” or “It was a complete dahnce di-sah-ster, dahling.” Strictly fandom.

He is known for being exacting, candid, and uncompromising in his professional standards — both praised and critiqued for that same uncompromising streak.

Craig is also fiercely candid about his own struggles: body image, mental health, sexuality, and the pressures of performance. His openness in interviews and memoirs gives his public persona depth beyond flamboyance.

Famous Quotes by Craig Revel Horwood

Here are several notable quotations that reflect his wit, candor, and worldview:

• “There can be dramas in your life and you can get over them and become someone. You don’t have to wallow in self-pity; you can actually use the experiences in your life to push yourself further and help others.”

• “My advice gets misconstrued as being mean.”

• “I’m a workaholic.”

• “I think women should be paid the same as men. That’s for sure. But… what would you say to a woman coming in after you’ve been in the job for 15 years when they’ve done absolutely nothing to earn it? I don’t think that’s right.”

• “I used to go to clubs and sing as myself but people weren’t interested. And then I turned up as a woman and suddenly everyone was interested.”

In performance and judging contexts, he is also known for lines such as:

“Absolute filth … and I loved it!” “It was a complete dahnce di-sah-ster, dahling.”

These remarks exemplify his flair, theatricality, and willingness to dramatize critique.

Lessons from Craig Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood’s life offers several lessons that resonate for creatives, performers, and anyone navigating visibility and self-expression:

1. Embrace multiple roles. He didn’t confine himself to dancing alone: he became a choreographer, director, author, TV personality, and advocate. Diversification allowed him to sustain momentum in a changing industry.

2. Be bold, but evolve. His strong, uncompromising style made him stand out — but he’s also shown introspection and adaptability (e.g., softening critique).

3. Speak openly about struggle. By revealing his battles with self-image, mental health, and vulnerability, he humanizes public performance and creates a deeper connection with audiences.

4. Turn criticism into fuel. Many of his quotes emphasize using difficulties and public drama to move forward rather than stagnate.

5. Excellence demands rigor. His standards in dance and theatre show that craft demands discipline, precision, and refusal to settle for mediocrity.

Conclusion

Craig Revel Horwood embodies theatricality, exactitude, and a relentless spirit of reinvention. From his early years in Australia to becoming a household figure in British television and theatre, he illustrates how talent, resilience, and personality intersect in an illustrious creative life. His critiques, quotes, public evolutions, and artistic contributions continue to influence how we see dance, performance, and the courage to be expressive in public arenas.