The lovable boy-next-door drummer from McFly was finally crowned Strictly champion on Saturday night after a string of spectacular ballroom routines.
However, he wasn’t so graceful on his feet the morning he stumbled from Hollywood wild child Lindsay Lohan’s hotel room.
Lohan, who has had lengthy battles with drink and drugs, made a beeline for former public schoolboy Harry on the set of the movie Just My Luck back in 2005.
The film featured a cameo by the boys from McFly – who were playing themselves – and lead actress Lohan took a real shine to the band’s pretty-boy drummer.
Harry, who is now head-over-heels in love with his long-term partner Izzy Johnston, recalled: “At the time I thought, ‘This is awesome.’ But I was really nervous. Lindsay invited me back to her hotel. I left at eight o’clock next morning.”
Lohan has denied any encounter but Harry is happy to set the record straight.
“I didn’t s**g her but we spent the night and had a fumble,” he said. “We did things teenagers do. We went far enough but not the full home run.”
It was certainly an eye-opening experience for Harry, who just two years before was boarding at Uppingham, the £20,000-a-year school which boasts Stephen Fry among its former pupils.
Harry, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex, was in the sixth-form at the posh Rutland school when he saw an advert offering auditions for the pop band McFly.
“My parents weren’t keen on me joining McFly,” he said. “I was 17 and I was about to do my AS levels. My dad really wanted me to finish school and do a degree, but I argued that doing this was the experience I needed.
“It was weird, because once I’d met the other guys I never had a second of doubt that we were going to make it.
“My parents were incredible – after a few sessions they just said they’d support me.”
The band – Harry, I’m A Celebrity winner Dougie Poynter, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones – has since clocked up 18 Top 20 singles, seven of which hit No1 in the UK, and scooped a Brit Award.
Harry spent a lot of the early years in a drunken pop star haze – but he’s since kicked the booze. The 25-year-old said: “I stopped drinking last year and that has been a good thing for me on Strictly as I’ve had no hangovers and I’ve been really able to focus. The tough thing is there is an amazing crew on Strictly and they’ve all been saying, ‘We’ll have a drink tonight Harry,’ and I feel like, ‘How am I going to explain this?’ I don’t enjoy drinking any more. I only ever used to drink to get drunk. I could drink if I wanted, but I don’t. I’d rather get to bed, as I’m so exhausted.”
At the beginning of the series, Harry moved in with his girlfriend Izzy Johnston, 27, a member of all-girl electro-string quartet Escala, who got to the finals of 2008’s Britain’s Got Talent. And he revealed that one day they’ll marry. He gushed: “She’s the only girl in the world for me, I absolutely know 100% that in her I have found The One, and yes I do want marriage, kids, the whole deal. I’m lucky to have her.”
The pair began dating three years ago, but split after 18 months due to work pressures. Then Izzy, after six months apart, turned up unexpectedly one day on his doorstep. “She was standing there in tears with make-up running down her face,” said Harry. “I knew then that I couldn’t ever be without her.”
Her support paid off on Saturday night, when Harry lifted the Strictly trophy at Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom after beating Chelsee Healey and Jason Donovan.
Harry’s seemingly effortless routines dazzled 13.3million viewers on BBC1 – but a series of disasters in practice earlier in the day with his pro partner Aliona threatened to scupper his bid.
“I forgot some moves,” he said. “The dress run was pretty disastrous. I almost dropped Aliona. And then in the Argentine tango I tripped her up and we had to miss a whole section. Everyone was reassuring us, ‘Don’t worry, bad dress run, good show.’ It has been very emotional and I was on the verge of crying all day.
“The night before the final I was with Izzy in a hotel room and I started to work myself up a bit. I was feeling pretty anxious. Thankfully I passed out and next thing I knew the alarm was going off.”
There was more drama on the day when contestant Nancy Dell’Olio refused to travel to Blackpool on the chartered BBC coach. Thankfully, Holly Valance stepped in and offered her boyfriend’s Rolls-Royce, before they flew up to the seaside town in a private jet.
And there was almost another disaster as Harry was pronounced champ – when his McFly bandmates invaded the stage and frightened the life out of Sir Bruce Forsyth. Tom Fletcher, who was shooed off by the host, said: “I think Brucie thought we were streakers.
We wanted to streak but I don’t think the BBC would be too happy about that. It was a laugh and we just wanted to congratulate Harry.”
The boys will all be back in the studio soon – although Brucie reckons Harry could make a living out of dancing.
He said: “I’m not sure if that is entirely true but it is kind of Bruce to say. It has been an absolute honour to be on the same show as Bruce.
“The McFly boys have been recording new material and demos while I have been doing this. Obviously Dougie has been in the jungle. We will be happy to get back into the studio and touring in March and April. And we can’t wait to get back on the road. I’m happy to be back on drums.
“Dancing on Strictly is 10 times more nerve-racking than being on stage with McFly. When we’ve had high pressured gigs I’ve always thought I’m so glad I’m a drummer. But Strictly has given me more confidence.
“You’d be surprised how much self-doubt people have. I never thought I’d do Strictly. I forever doubted myself and every Saturday I was thinking, ‘This is too much, I can’t do it,’ but Aliona has helped me. One of the things I was most pleased of is that I held my nerve.”
Mirror
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