YOU’LL have seen them on TV; you may have caught up with them on the arena tour. But now, here’s your chance to get up close and personal with the stars of Strictly Come Dancing in Southampton.

Strictly Confidential is a songand- dance extravaganza dreamt up, directed and co-ordinated by Craig Revel Horwood, tell-it-like-it-is judge on BBC1’s runaway hit, which enjoys a week-long run at The Mayflower from Monday.

Starring Lisa Riley and professional dancers Artem Chigvintsev, Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite, it will tell their individual stories and weave in routines – everything from ballroom to a clog dance – to the accompaniment of everything from pop hits to show tunes sung to a live band.

“I interviewed all four of them to find out their life stories,”

says Craig, “the ups and downs of becoming dancers that brought them to the point of being involved in Strictly. I then wrote an autobiographical arc for each of them. I was keen to construct a show that wasn’t just a series of demonstration dances.”

So it is that we’ll hear from Lisa about losing her beloved mother, Cath, to cancer just weeks before Lisa started on Strictly.

“Cath’s favourite song,’ says Craig, ‘was In My Daughter’s Eyes.

Lisa will tell the audience how she coped before going into a dance based on that song. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

But there’ll be some fun, too, including a ballet based on Emmerdale in which she appeared as Mandy Dingle.

“She’ll also be doing the splits eight times a week which will bring water to my eyes, if not hers. I couldn’t believe it when she did it at Wembley. The entire arena shook. It was amazing. But then so is her singing voice. You wait until you hear her version of All That Jazz.”

Similarly, we’ll learn about Artem’s tough time growing up in Russia; about Ian confronting his sexuality; and how Natalie had to beat the odds to follow her dream.

“I want to show how they’ve battled obstacles with courage and that very often it’s through song and dance that they’ve found a way forward.

“I also want to take the audience backstage at Strictly to show the nerves that everyone feels before they come out and dance in front of 14 million people with a camera thrust in their face.”

Artem, who will be partnering Lisa on stage, became one of the professional dancers in the competition in 2010. He said: “I was so lucky. I was partnered with Kara (Tointon). We won the show – and I got the girl. We’re still together.”

Craig adds: “This is a show that in some ways isn’t so very different from A Chorus Line, currently back in the West End. It’s an exploration of the people who make their living through dance. And, I might add, a great night out!”