Strictly star Hamza can't wait for Scotland's home crowd roar

Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yassin has said he cannot wait to hear the Glasgow crowd when the live show comes to Scotland.

The programme's live tour will be in the city for the last of nine stops.

Hamza is expecting half of his Ardnamurchan community to turn up to see him dancing on the arena stage.

The Sudan-born wildlife presenter said the villagers of Kilchoan had been a huge support throughout the competition, which he won in December.

Hamza told BBC Scotland's The Edit he thought his return to Scotland with dance partner Jowita Przystal for five shows at Glasgow's Ovo Hydro next week was "going to be amazing".

"I can't wait to hear the roar of Glasgow," Hamza said. "I'm hoping that the home crowd gets behind both of us.

"We just want to say thank you to everybody."

In the final of the 20th series of the BBC One celebrity dance show, Hamza won the viewers vote, but he was particularly touched by the support from his neighbours in the most westerly village in mainland Britain.

"Everyone was just really proud and I was proud of them for their support helping me out through the whole journey," he said.

"Half the village is turning up [to the live show]," Hamza said. "One section of the audience is just going to be shouting like mad."

Hamza, 32, moved to Kilchoan, on the peninsula of Ardnamurchan beside the Sound of Mull in Lochaber, more than a decade ago and built his career as a photographer and documentary maker from there.

Having moved to the UK when he was eight, he gained degrees in zoology with conservation and biological imaging and photography before going on to work on TV programmes including The Animal Park, CBeebies' Let's Go For A Walk and Countryfile.

Hamza and professional dancer Jowita said they were loving the Strictly tour so far and had wonderful memories from the TV show.

Jowita said they would be "friends for life" after the experience.

"When I met Hamza I saw that he'd got this, and he'd got the moves, and he'd the ability to actually go that far and win this show," she said.

"I asked him for two things - trust and energy. He gave me much more and I think everything paid off.

"He did it, he lifted that glitterball and he deserved that."

For Hamza it was a life-changing experience.

"It's been the best thing I've ever done in my life, and I've travelled the globe," he admitted.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was a roller coaster of emotions and I had the best person beside me shining the light the whole way through it and guiding me through."