The Real Full Monty (video)

Who will dare to bare all for a good cause?

The Real Full Monty is on Thursday 15th June at 8.30pm on ITV.

#TheRealFullMonty The brave celebrities taking part are: McFly drummer, Harry Judd, TOWIE star, Elliott Wright, ballet dancer, Wayne Sleep, former Olympic swimmer, Mark Foster, Emmerdale actor, Matthew Wolfenden, TV presenter, Dom Littlewood, and Death in Paradise and Red Dwarf actor, Danny John Jules, plus host Alexander Armstrong.

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It was the box office smash of the 90s, not least for its iconic strip, and 20 years later, The Full Monty is back with a twist.

This is The Real Full Monty, where eight male celebrities will be baring all for a new ITV documentary, not only marking the film's 20th anniversary, but to raise awareness of men's cancers.

Along with host Alexander Armstrong, seven celebrity strippers will have only six days in total to learn and rehearse their unique take on the famous routine performed to You Can Leave Your Hat On - under the watchful eye of choreographer and co-presenter Ashley Banjo, before ultimately performing it in front of an audience of thousands at The London Palladium.

Alexander said: When this opportunity to revisit and celebrate The Full Monty came up, on that level alone I was completely won over. I adored the film.

The brave celebrities taking part are: McFly drummer, Harry Judd, TOWIE star, Elliott Wright, ballet dancer, Wayne Sleep, former Olympic swimmer, Mark Foster, Emmerdale actor, Matthew Wolfenden, TV presenter, Dom Littlewood, and Death in Paradise and Red Dwarf actor, Danny John Jules.

Ashley said: I'm nervous, I've never choreographed a strip. I want to get them in the right mind frame to now only dance but strip naked in front of thousands of people.

On why he decided to take part, dancer Wayne said: The reason I'm doing this show is because last year I had prostate cancer, and I am Prostate Cancer UK's ambassador, therefore I felt I should come to the project immediately.

Elliott also revealed the reason he decided to take part: My dad got prostate cancer two years ago, and he wasn't quick enough and it spread, and when prostate cancer spreads you can't get rid of it.

With rehearsals underway, and the daunting reality of what lay ahead becoming apparent, host Alexander, said: I'm really pleased by how dedicated to the cause our little troop is. We are all fired up by the message we have got to get over, and that means we haven't got time to feel self-conscious, and we've got the Palladium stage on which we will be dancing and taking all our kit off. I mean, if that isn't going to bond you, I don't know what is.

As part of rehearsals, the celebrities even got the chance to perform their very own take on the film's Looking For Some Hot Stuff scene, but rather than the local Post Office, they headed to a bustling supermarket.

After impressing the shoppers with their moves, drummer Harry said: That was very embarrassing I think that means it was a success!

Anxieties arose when it came to practicing the strip for the first time, with some of the men unable to strip down to their underwear. Actor Matthew said: There was something about being in that room then that made me bottle it, and I kind of regret not doing it, I feel like now that I've got an extra stepping stone to overcome that everyone else has just overcome.

This caused choreographer Ashley some concerns, as he confided in co-host Alexander: Everyone's kind of fixating on the end point and if nobody is willing to rehearse and prepare for this one final moment that they're fixating on, then it won't be good. I am not convinced at the moment that when we get to any type of dress rehearsal we're going to get a full group doing the full monty.

Alexander said: Our best hope of getting through the routine is the cause that's brought us all here together, raising awareness of both prostate and testicular cancer.

So, to get the celebrities in the same Yorkshire frame of mind as the characters from the original film, Ashley organised a coach to take them up to Sheffield, where unbeknownst to them, they were about to have their first taste of baring their flesh in front of a live audience, on stage at Shiregreen's working men's club, as featured in the movie however, after some heated discussions, the celebrities decided to go ahead with the performance and took to the stage, to a rapturous applause.

With the buzz of Sheffield still ringing in their famous ears, there was no time to rest on their laurels as the grand finale at the London Palladium was fast approaching.

LINK:	http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/real-full-monty-video...
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