Strictly champion Chris McCausland has revealed he was mugged at knifepoint by two armed ‘scumbags’.
The comedian, 48, made the admission in his memoir Keep Laughing as he recalled the shock attack – which took place during his teenage years.
Chris – who lost his sight aged 22 due to hereditary condition retinitis pigmentosa – revealed he was out in his native Liverpool when he was approached by the thugs.
He recalled: ‘Both of them pressed flick knives into my stomach as a threat that didn’t really need much in the way of explanation.
‘”Money,” one of the under-achieving b*****ds said. “Okay, okay,” I said, and then, in a stroke of spontaneous genius, surprising bravery or complete idiocy, I tried to fob them off with just loose change that I had in my pocket.
‘I don’t really know what I was thinking. I scooped out a small handful of change that must have totalled no more than a couple of quid.’
Strictly champion Chris McCausland revealed in his memoir Keep Laughing that he was mugged at knifepoint by two armed ‘scumbags’ during his teenage years
Chris continued: ‘”Here,” I said, offering it upwards to the two hefty losers. “Nice try. We just followed you from the cash machine,” one of them said, as they pressed the knives a little harder. S**t.
‘I needed to come up with something quick as I didn’t want them thinking I was taking the p**s. “I know, I know,” I said back. “I, err, I was getting to that. I just wanted to make sure that you got everything.”
‘I pulled out the two folded notes from that little ticket pocket in my jeans and handed them over. “Hey!” shouted a lady from behind. “That lad’s getting mugged!”
‘And with that the two pathetic scumbags ran off down towards the backstreets of Liverpool with a whole thirty quid between them. Saddoes.’
Chris added that the time he didn’t want to worry his parents so never told them.
He confessed: ‘Reading this might be the first they learn of it.
‘I know being mugged at knifepoint had nothing to do with my poor eyesight, but I think my concern was that telling my parents might change things.’
It was during his teenage years that Chris began losing his vision and previously said that when his sight began to deteriorate it was ‘scary and embarrassing’.
Chris – who lost his sight aged 22 due to hereditary condition retinitis pigmentosa – revealed he was out in his native Liverpool when he was approached by the thugs (pictured in 2009)
He said before: ‘I found myself in difficult situations because I was reluctant to ask for help. I knew I would never be on a level playing field with everyone else.
‘My eyesight deteriorated significantly while I was at university, and the technology available at that time wasn’t advanced enough, so I had to abandon my career path in web development.’
Born in West Derby Village, Liverpool, Chris started out as a web developer before moving onto sales as his eyesight deteriorated, during which time he started his career in stand-up.
After trying his hand in comedy during a new act comedy night, he was soon recognised for his humour after winning the Jongleurs J2O Last Laugh competition, before gaining recognition in other competitions.
His career soon skyrocketed, going on to have a seven-year stint at the Edinburgh Fringe and an appearance on Live At The Apollo.
Last year, he made history as the first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, and went on to win the Glitterball Trophy alongside partner Dianne Buswell.
Chris McCausland’s Keep Laughing is out now
Last year, Chris made history as the first blind contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, and went on to win the Glitterball Trophy alongside partner Dianne Buswell.
