Exclusive: Sarah Hadland shares rare insight into ‘juggle’ of motherhood and rigorous Strictly schedule

Sarah Hadland keeps her personal life private but the actress offered HELLO! an ultra-rare insight into balancing motherhood with her rigorous Strictly schedule in an exclusive interview at the Pride of Britain Awards. 

“It’s quite a juggle but you manage to do it like all working mums,” the mother of one revealed. “I think you just have to put your ‘mum hat’ on and your ‘work hat’ on and I feel so lucky to be doing this show.”

Despite the Miranda actress keeping her young daughter away from the limelight, she dedicated the pair’s “special” week four foxtrot to her. “[This dance] it’s about my family and me and my little one,” Sarah said, with Vito having chosen ‘Birds of a Feather’ by Billie Eilish to dance to. 

“This song is special to us because we sing it together. It would be really lovely to show how I feel in the dance.”

Her Strictly partner Vito Coppola, 32, also told HELLO! how he is looking out for Sarah, 53, as she performs this balancing act. 

“Remember that you are a woman and you have to also take care of yourself. And you are very beautiful and you know how much I care for you and I will make sure you also take care of yourself,” the Italian pro dancer told his partner. 

“Yes, he does always say, ‘Make sure you get enough sleep, properly look after yourself’, which I really appreciate,” Sarah said.

Though Vito revealed that the amount of hours spent in the training room “depends on the day because we have schedules to adapt every day”, many stars have admitted to being in the training room for seven plus hours daily.

Learning about herself

On the Pride of Britain red carpet, the Job Lot star also revealed that her time on Strictly has taught her more than just how to dance.

“I thought I knew what my limits were and I feel like I’ve learned that that’s not the case,” Sarah told HELLO!. “When you get to a certain point in your life, you think you know what I’m capable of.

“I know what I can do and what I can’t do and Vito has definitely made me challenge that and made me realise that, actually, I shouldn’t say what I can and can’t do before I start,” she continued.

“That’s been a really amazing thing to discover about myself – that I was setting a limit on myself and you can’t do that because you don’t know what you can achieve until you keep trying,” she said, adding that she would “love” to star in more Miranda, should Miranda Hart write it.

Dancing with the reigning champion

Not only is Vito an 11-time Italian Latin American Champion, but the reigning champ of the Strictly ballroom. The glitterball holder ensures that this doesn’t place pressure on Sarah as they embark on their journey together.

“This is a new page, a new adventure and you want to get the best every single time and with team Tiramisu, we have fun,” the pro said.

“For me, I love to try and take the best version of the person I have in front of me and that’s what we are trying to do every single day and week. 

“Of course, I am super happy with last year but this is a new page, a new trip, a new journey and we are going to make sure it is beautiful and enjoyable from the beginning to the end.”

Sarah added that she is reassured by feeling that “the competition is with yourself”.

An energetic pairing

Vito is a fan-favourite in the pro roster, especially when it comes to his energetic personality which is put on full display in the Clauditorium every Saturday. But it takes two to tango and his and Sarah’s partnership is certainly a dynamic one.

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“We lift each other’s energy,” the Italian star said. “We are like two batteries, we power up and we explode!”.