This time last year, as her dance partner and Strictly Come Dancing co-star Anton Du Beke set off around the country on his solo tour – his first without her – Erin Boag had to settle for helping him choreograph the show and putting the costumes together, as she was heavily pregnant with her first child.

“I was too round,“ the New Zealander laughs. “But while Anton was off, I was floating in a pool in Phuket, so that wasn’t too bad! But it wasn’t too hard because I knew I’d be back and because I had something nice that was about to happen. And I didn’t have time to miss Anton – he just wouldn’t go away!“

Erin didn’t give herself time to miss the job she’s been doing professionally since 2002 – she was back dancing in public just seven weeks after giving birth to baby Ewan, who is now ten months old.

“I probably wouldn’t advise it – if you were thinking of doing it yourself, don’t!“ laughs the 39-year-old, who’s been dancing since she was just three.

“I’d booked in all these shows, thinking I was going to have this lovely pregnancy and easy birth, and then I ended up with the worst pregnancy, I was so ill it was ridiculous, and then had an emergency Caesarean. The stitches were nearly healed when I went back out and started doing shows again.

"Anton kept joking ‘Are you OK? You’re not splitting, are you?’ I wanted to slap him!“

Erin is now back on the road on a full UK tour with Anton – her dance partner since 1997, who is also godfather to little Ewan – with their new show That’s Entertainment.

The show features everything you would expect from an Anton and Erin show – sophisticated, traditional ballroom numbers, themed around the film That’s Entertainment, the 1974 MGM documentary featuring clips from the likes of Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds, and the golden era of Hollywood dance movies.

You can expect foxtrots, waltzes and quicksteps to songs like Steppin’ Out With My Baby, True Love, Make ‘em Laugh, There’s No Business Like Show Business and, of course, That’s Entertainment.

Erin and Anton will be joined by Strictly singer Lance Ellington, the 25-piece London Concert Orchestra, and six world-class ensemble dancers from the world of musical theatre.

“It’s great to be back on tour,“ says Erin. “It’s going to be a great night, high-kicking, full of variety – Anton and I sing as well! And, of course, we’ll have the Q&A, which always goes down well.“

When the tour finishes later this month, Erin and Anton will be busy with corporate shows and weekend dance breaks, and then Anton will be back on our screens in the next season of Strictly in the autumn, without Erin for the third series.

“As a professional dancer on the show, that’s it for me,“ says Erin. “I’d love them to ask me to do something else on it, or on It Takes Two (the BBC 2 Strictly companion show).

“But being partnered with a celebrity, it’s seven days a week from August to December and you have to go wherever your celebrity is, and I just wouldn’t do that now, with Ewan.

“I’ve had ten fantastic years doing the show, but I don’t want to do it to that degree anymore.“

All Erin’s tour dates and professional commitments now revolve around Ewan, her child with her business consultant husband Peter O’Dowd, and she makes sure she’s never away home from for more than a night or two.

“It is hard,“ she admits, “you have to juggle. Obviously Ewan’s the highlight of my life, but I also enjoy what I do, but you can do both. The show must go on!“

  • Anton and Erin – That’s Entertainment is at Watford Colosseum, Rickmansworth Road, Watford on Thursday, March 12 at 7.30pm. Details: 0845 075 3993, watfordcolosseum.co.uk