Chris McCausland has described his Strictly Come Dancing journey as the "most rewarding thing" he has ever done.
The 47-year-old comedian, who is the BBC show's first blind contestant, and his professional partner Dianne Buswell are among the four couples who will compete on Saturday to win the glitterball trophy.
McCausland revealed he and his 11-year-old daughter were terrified when he first took on the challenge, but she is now cheering him on to win.
Ahead of the final, he said: "The fear was immense. I said no to this a few times because it was terrifying."
He added: "I like a challenge, I like new things, I like being out of my comfort zone, but I need to know that I can do good and represent myself and represent other people well. There was a huge doubt about that."
The stand-up said most weeks have been "terrifying" but he has discovered he has "a lot more resilient and determination" than he realised.
"It’s been exhausting, and it’s been the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but I think it’s certainly been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done," he added.
"And it's probably the thing that’s going to have the most lasting effect on me in terms of my outlook on the world and life and really the opportunities that I have."
McCausland, who lost his sight completely by the age of 22 due to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye disease which causes gradual degeneration of the retina, revealed his daughter was initially "nervous" for him in case he fell over and "embarrassed" himself.
As the show has gone on, he said his 11-year-old has been sharing how proud of him she is and is now backing him to lift the trophy.
He recalled: "She’d say every Saturday 'It doesn’t matter Daddy if you go out because I think you’ve already won’.
"And then it was when we got to the semi-finals she said ‘Daddy, do you know when I said it doesn’t matter? I’ve changed my mind. I think you can win this thing’."
McCausland and Buswell will perform three dances in the grand finale, including a new show dance to You Get What You Give by New Radicals, as well as their emotional waltz to Gerry and the Pacemakers' cover of You'll Never Walk Alone.
The duo will also reprise their couple’s choice routine to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon, which went viral on social media after they performed in complete darkness.
In the routine, he placed his hands over Buswell’s eyes as the room faded to black, with the lights coming up moments later to show him spinning around with the dancer on his shoulders as pyrotechnics flared in the background.
The comedian said he is "grateful" to have been partnered with the Australian dancer on the show as their humour, communication style and outlook on life have worked together so well.
The duo both admitted they have teared up during their last week of rehearsals as they realised their time on the show together was coming to an end.
"Our last dance is going to be our waltz to You’ll Never Walk Alone. It’s an emotional song anyway and I just had this little thought of us ending the dance and that being the end of everything we’ve done, and it just gets me emotional," he said.
McCausland is among the bookmaker's favourite to win the 2024 series, which marks the show’s 20th anniversary.
The comedian admitted the dance competition was not on his radar before he signed up, with episode one being the first time he heard the theme tune.
But he said he now understands the appeal: "It’s some people’s football in a way, and I appreciate that now."
"I’ve really come to appreciate what it is and the reach it has and how it matters to people," he added.
"The support we’ve had and the support that everybody’s had and the interaction it gets from the people at home – how it matters to people, how it lifts their mood, how it helps people overcome their own issues."
McCausland will compete against Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and professional partner Aljaz Skorjanec; Miranda actress Sarah Hadland with Vito Coppola; and JLS singer JB Gill with Lauren Oakley in grand finale.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Final will air live on Saturday December 14 at 6pm, on BBC One.
Source: Press Association
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