Tim Wonnacott has said that Strictly Come Dancing viewers should not dismiss older contestants as serious contenders.
At 63, the Bargain Hunt presenter is the oldest celebrity competing in the new series, which kicked off this weekend.
Wonnacott, who scored 18 out of 40 for his cha-cha, has advised fans not to rubbish his chances against the younger celebrities in the competition.
"There have been older, I think, but not by much," he said. "The thing is you must not write off the older people.
"The older people bring - I think the older people bring a degree of experience which some of these youngsters just won't have had, and they may look lean and muscular and sinewy and willowy and all the rest of it but actually that can belie things.
"Stick with the oldies, that's my motto."
His partner Natalie Lowe praised him for his determination to succeed: "I've been most surprised in rehearsals at how fit you actually are.
"You never want to have a break, you always want to keep going, you eat so well. You've got so much energy. More strength actually in his upper body than I've ever really experienced before."
The antiques expert believes that his "clean life" prepared him for the competition.
"Clearly it's been a journey in my life that has brought me to this point. This precipice, over which I'm about to leap with this gorgeous creature, and I've kept myself in this peak and prime condition specifically."
Wonnacott revealed that he usually gives up alcohol between Christmas and Easter, but this year decided to extend the period.
"I got to Easter this year and it was nothing to do with Strictly - I got to Easter this year and I thought, 'I'm having such a nice time never partaking of any of this wretched hooch, I think I'll drop it for a bit'," he said.
"And I think what I might do is I might have a drink at Christmas to celebrate my year of no drink."
Strictly Come Dancing continues next weekend on BBC One.
