'Growing up in Liverpool I always hid my emotions'

Chris McCausland says he was "closed off" emotionally before going on Strictly Come Dancing

Comedian Chris McCausland has said the experience of winning Strictly Come Dancing allowed him to be open enough about his emotions to write his new autobiography.

Speaking on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen, McCausland said he had previously "presented the facade" he wanted people to see until taking part in the 22nd season of Strictly - which he described as "the most terrifying thing I've ever done".

He said: "I'm a northern bloke who grew up in Liverpool in the 80s - I've always been quite closed off...get your emotions, put them in a hole and build a carpark on top of them," he said.

"Suddenly you cry on the telly in front of 10 million people, you feel a lot more open."

Chris McCausland won the 22nd season of Strictly Come Dancing

McCausland, 47, was registered blind after losing his sight to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition, in his 20s.

He said he started his autobiography, Keep Laughing, with his birth as it was when he had perfect eyesight before it began deteriorating.

"I wanted to frontload the deterioration of the eyesight right at the front of the book so I could casually refer back to it as I was working through the story rather than having to explain it too much along the way," he said.

He said he began writing stand-up comedy in his mid-20s out of boredom while he was recovering from a bout of shingles.

But he said it was important for him not to "just go and be funny about being blind".

"I didn't talk about it onstage for ages," McCausland said.

"My plan was to …make people forget and surprise people."