A HUNTINGDON woman will get up close with celebrities and professional dancers after being selected to spray tan the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.

A HUNTINGDON woman will get up close with celebrities and professional dancers after being selected to spray tan the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.

Elaine Freeman, of Sapley Road will be the envy of reality television fans when she gets to meet the stars of the BBC hit show.

Miss Freeman, 39, has worked in the spray tanning industry for more than four years and is a regional manager and trainer for professional tanning brand, Sienna X.

Last year the company tanned Strictly celebrities including Rachel Stevens, Lisa Snowden, Jodie Kidd and Mark Foster and dancers Ola Jordan, Lilia Kopylova, Ian Waite and James Jordan. They have also provided tans for the cast of Gladiators and BBC Radio One’s Scott Mills.

This year’s Strictly line-up has been kept under wraps until this Saturday’s (September 11) launch night on BBC One. Although, media reports suggest celebrities will include Gavin Henson, Felicity Kendal and Ann Widdecombe.

Whoever the stars, former St Neots Community College pupil, Miss Freeman will be spending her Friday evenings spray tanning them ready for the live shows.

Her work will see her travelling to BBC Studios in West London once a week until Christmas.

She visited the studios on Wednesday (September 8) to be introduced to the cast and to discuss their tanning requirements.

Speaking to The Hunts Post, she said: “It’s going to be hectic doing 30 spray tans in one afternoon but it will be good fun and I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’ll spray tan from 1pm to 8pm on a Friday evening and share the work with my London-based colleague, Victoria Patterson.

“It takes about seven minutes to spray a full body and clients wear a paper black thong or their own underwear.”

Last year she said her Strictly highlight was spray tanning former Hollyoaks hunk, Ricky Whittle who was runner-up in the show.

She said: “We had a laugh. He called me auntie Elaine, which made me feel at ease.

“I’m very professional about it all but when I get home and watch it on television I do get quite excited.”

In addition to meeting the celebrities, another perk of the job is taking her seven-year-old daughter, Gracie to watch the stars rehearsal at Christmas time.

Miss Freeman said: “She loves it and has such a great time.”