Sometimes I like to delve into the past, take a look at success in its inception. Either by asking where it all began, or trying to catch a successful musician or actor just at that point where they are on the cusp of greatness. But then it dawned on me: to really grasp where success comes from, who better to canvass than the parents? And in this instance, with Father’s Day upon us, why not Dad in particular?
To that end, enter Bill Whiddon, father of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing pro Trent, and in-law to Trent’s real life partner Gordana. You can read the interview with Trent and Gordana here, but I wanted to delve a little deeper and this weekend seemed a timely opportunity to find out exactly how Trent first planted the roots of his success.
I say this weekend – I ought to highlight a small irony here: in Bill Whiddon’s homeland of Australia the date reflects everything but Fathers’ Day:
“Down here Father’s Day is the 1st Sunday in September,” Bill explains. Never fear though, because as chance would have it the date is not entirely irrelevant in the Whiddon family: “June 21st also happens to be my 61st birthday and Trent and Gordana’s 3rd Anniversary.”
So happy birthday to Bill, and congratulations to Trent and Gordana – welcome trivia for all you Strictly fans out there, I’m sure!
Felicitations dealt with, on to the matter at hand: does Bill feel that he – and his wife Vicki – have played a role in influencing Trent to become the success he is today?
“Well, looking back we must have,” Bill begins, “but we were young parents just doing what we thought was best. We encouraged and supported all our sons to get involved in something that they found an interest in, but with Trent it was a passion, and we had to totally support him in his endeavour, as he was putting in all the hard work.”
That endeavour led to Trent and Gordana managing the internationally acclaimed ballroom show Burn the Floor, choreographing for So You Think You Can Dance – Australia and associating with a host of celebrities from Kevin Spacey to Pixie Lott. Oh and did I mention BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing..? Needless to say, the pair don’t spend a lot of time in their respective birth nations. An emotional challenge, I would assume, for any parent.
“That was a big shock at first,” Bill recalls. “Our social lives for three to four years, before Trent left on his first tour with Burn the Floor at seventeen, revolved around dance. He would have lessons and practice five nights a week and competitions on the weekends. And yes we would love to see more of him, and miss him and Gordana greatly, especially when all the rest of the family is together. But his career has given him the experience of travelling the world and to have the opportunities to do what he loves doing. Then the other side is that we may not have had the travel experiences in following him. We have had the pleasure to visit Japan, England, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and USA.”
And yet for Bill, as a father, such international acclaim was not intrinsic to success: that entity was one he recognised in his son years before the arrival of world stardom.
“When he started dancing at seven, it was just something he wanted to do. By the time of becoming a teenager, his achievements and dedication were evidence to us that success had already begun.”
As a parent myself I ought to have known this. Because, with my own children, I’m prouder of what they do than what they have yet to become. Perhaps that’s a luxury we have of following an individual journey on the path to achievement; it’s the steps along the way that count, not the destination. That, at least, is reflected in Bill’s answer when I ask him what it is about his son that gives him the most pride.
“His kind and pleasant personality and caring demeanour,” he replies, adding then, “His first international dance competition at Blackpool, where he made it to the finals. He left home as a young fifteen year old boy and came back so much more mature, with a determination that his love of dance could become his future.”
And if you want to inspire your children to achieve their best – what’s Bill’s advice as a father?
“My philosophy was that I never wanted my sons to come back and say that I stopped them from their chosen activity, when it was within my ability to provide the support and encouragement for them to achieve.”
My grateful thanks to Bill and Vicki Whiddon for their time, as well as their insight into parenting which I’m sure many of us with children can gleam something from.
1 Comment
Amy
Awesome!!