IT was the biggest moment of their lives. Young dancers from across Hampshire put their best foot forward as they performed a surprise flashmob for the Queen.

Led by Strictly Come Dancing stars Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite, the youngsters jived their hearts out during the historic naming ceremony of the country’s biggest ever cruise ship.

As Strictly has a long and successful association with P&O, and Natalie and Ian were the first ballroom stars to perform on board the first Strictly cruise, bosses approached the pair with the idea of surprising everyone with a flashmob dance.

With just four weeks to get the performance together, the pair quickly recruited 20 couples from dance groups across the region, including A and L Dance Academy in Hedge End, Nice and Easy in Bournemouth and some from Alton.

The Daily Echo was given exclusive access to the rehearsals at Stephens Dance Centre in Shirley, pictured below, during which the talented youngsters learned the energetic routine to The Temptations’ Get Ready in less than two hours under the guidance of their Strictly idols.

Daily Echo:

Natalie said: “Nothing like this has ever been done before.

“The naming ceremony is normally quite reserved but P&O wanted to make this one extra special.

“I nearly fell off my chair when they asked us to choreograph something for it.

“To be recognised for our choreography and not just our performances is a real honour and means a lot to us.”