Strictly outdoor swimming with Jayde Adams

Comedian, actor and singer Jayde Adams is well known for her antics on television but, like many swimmers, she finds the best way to relax is in the water. Ella Foote finds out more.

Jayde Adams has a long and successful career in entertainment, but you may recognise her from BBC Strictly Come Dancing, which she took part in last year.

She is an actor, comedian and singer who loves nothing more than spending time with her best friend Becky Wyn Kelly, submerging in wild water to ‘ymlacio’ – Welsh for relax.

There are gale force winds, weather warnings, pelting rain and sand being blasted along Sandbanks Beach when we meet. It is easy to spot Jayde and Becky because not only are they the only people on the beach, but they are also dressed in matching green DryRobes.

Despite the weather, they both have massive grins on their faces and warm hugs to greet me.

“This is so our thing,” says Jayde. “We love it, whatever the weather.”

I booked The Saltwater Sauna, which is a welcome retreat from the elements and a great place to get to know each other.

The Finns like the way sauna is a leveller – everyone being the same when stripped down – but this isn’t needed with these two, they both immediately feel like old friends. We talk about everything. From inflatable churches to what it is really like to be a Strictly star. From grief to body image and we laugh, we laugh a lot.

In between sauna sessions we dip, leap and bounce around in the sea.

Jayde made it to week five of the Strictly Come Dancing competition with her professional dance partner, Karen Hauer.

“I had been leaving seeds that I was interested in the show for a while,” says Jayde. “If there is something I want to do in my career, I plant the seeds everywhere.

I like being able to turn my work into the things I’m interested in.”

Jayde’s memorable Cha Cha Cha to the song, What A Feeling from the film Flashdance was a favourite for many – including Jayde. “I was inundated with messages from people after that dance,” she says.

Jayde wore a leotard, much like a swimsuit. “The number of women who said they were going to be braver as a result was incredible. I had one girl message me and say she had always wanted to be able to walk around her home in the nude but hadn’t until now. It is my purpose in life to spread confidence like this.”

Of course, when someone puts themselves out in the world, it isn’t always positive. A show like Strictly exposes you to a different audience. “I dealt with a lot of trolls while on the show,” she says. “And it isn’t the straight white guy like everyone imagines, it is a lot of women. When women look at me, what they see is everything they were told not to be, but I am nailing it and they can’t handle that.”

Jayde rose to fame after her sister, Jenna, passed away from a brain tumour. She pursued comedy after encouragement from Becky. “Becky is really good at curating people’s passions and sending people on their path,” says Jayde.

Jayde and Becky’s friendship was founded in grief. Becky had lost her friend Vicky to suicide and Jayde’s sister had died. “Jayde was visiting the restaurant where I worked and she caught my eye because she looked so much like Vicky,” says Becky.

“Not long after, mutual connections meant we were both at Bestival at the same time and again I was reminded how much she looked like my friend.”

“She was staring at me,” says Jayde. “I hadn’t had the success I have now, so I wasn’t used to being stared at.”

The pair became close friends; they worked together while living in Cardiff and travelled the world. They have story after story of adventure and experiences.

“Before I met Babs (Becky) I wore a lot of Dorothy Perkins and didn’t have my own style,” says Jayde. “She became my creative guru, helping me find my style. I didn’t know I wanted to do stand up, but she encouraged me to say I was a comedian and not long after, I started getting booked.”

Over the course of her career, Jayde has won awards and accolades for her work.

Comedy has been a route into acting,which was always her ultimate goal. Days after we meet, she starts filming Ruby Speaking, her own sitcom and this year she will appear in the fi lm version of the Take That musical as well return to her role in award-winning sitcom Alma’s Not Normal. She is busy, but that is the way she likes it.

“I have cultivated an audience over 11 years,” she says. “As long as I continue to make content I am passionate about, I am happy. I keep my life incredibly varied; I like hanging out with interesting people and having different experiences. That is what feeds my work.”

Jayde is currently on tour, for tickets visit jaydeadams.com

This article is from the February issue of Outdoor Swimmer. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.