Strictly Come Dancing has been a Saturday night staple for 20 years, but many of the show’s stars have faced deeply personal health battles away from the dancefloor
Strictly Come Dancing has delivered joy, glamour and memorable moments to households nationwide for two decades.
However, beneath the glitter and fake tans, numerous stars from the programme have confronted deeply personal health struggles – some potentially fatal, others chronic conditions.
From cancer battles to eating disorders, these ordeals have influenced the paths of the professionals and judges who grace the BBC dance floor annually.
Here, we examine the hardships some members of the Strictly family have endured beyond the spotlight.
Amy Dowden
Professional dancer Amy Dowden’s career was placed on pause in 2023 following her stage three breast cancer diagnosis. The devastating news forced her to withdraw from the Strictly ballroom and concentrate on her treatment.
She endured a mastectomy and chemotherapy, and by February last year she could announce that there was “no evidence of disease” following her bell-ringing ceremony in November, according to the Mirror.
Yet the battle continued. Amy subsequently discussed the impact of medically induced menopause and fertility challenges, revealing how medics cautioned her that treatment would prompt early menopause.
Prior to beginning chemotherapy, she opted for egg retrieval procedures in the hope of starting a family with her husband, Ben Jones, in the future. While making her BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, she revealed: “I had a hormone-fed cancer, so they needed to put me into menopause because my hormones were feeding the cancer. My whole body was feeding cancer. But also because I was having chemotherapy and as amazing as chemotherapy is, it destroys a lot of cells in your body. Your eggs, your ovaries, everything can be damaged and not necessarily reboot again.”
Shirley Ballas.
Head judge Shirley Ballas has devoted a lifetime to dancing – and now her body is paying the price. The 65-year-old has disclosed she’s battling a degenerative spinal condition that may eventually need surgical intervention.
Medical experts have recommended multiple procedures to tackle the issue, but Shirley is resolute in her mission to delay surgery for as long as humanly possible. She’s turned to radical lifestyle adjustments instead, including dawn ice baths at 5am, fresh juice cleanses, and scaling back her professional commitments.
On Gabby Logan’s Mid-Point podcast, she opened up: “I’ve got this disorder in my spine, degenerative spine, which I haven’t really talked about with anybody yet, but there’s three types of operations, and I don’t want to do the operations. So I’m doing anti-inflammatory, I’m trying to do more juicing, I’m ice-bathing.”
She now regularly takes on the icy challenge: “I can go up to four minutes now, which I have built up to in the freezing, freezing cold, first thing at 5am. I would say it really stimulates me to start the day.”
Dianne Buswell.
Strictly professional Dianne Buswell has opened up about her previous struggle with an eating disorder – a battle that once left her “terrified” to dance.
Speaking on This Morning, she detailed how consuming thoughts about food and exercise began to take over her life: “You wake up in the morning, and the first thing you think of is, what am I going to eat? How many calories are going to be in that? How much do I need to exercise to burn off those calories? It literally is like a planned thing in your mind that doesn’t go away. And that’s when you start to go, ‘Oh, this is a problem because I’m not thinking of anything else.'”
She disclosed that “weekly weigh-ins” during her early dancing years only intensified her anxieties and formed her troubled relationship with food. “I think it comes from when I was quite a young girl. And obviously growing up in the dance world, you’re taught to look a certain way and you see all these other beautiful girls dancing. You kind of want to look like that and want to be winning like they are.
“And they look a certain way so I feel like I should look that way. So I think it was something from a really young age.”
Dianne has since conquered her battles and chronicled her journey in Eating Disorders Don’t Discriminate, with hopes of inspiring others who might be struggling quietly.
Vicky Pattison.
Fresh face Vicky Pattison is gearing up for the Strictly glare whilst juggling a severe health condition that amplifies her anxiety well beyond typical pre-show butterflies.
The telly personality disclosed in 2023 that she battles premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition that triggers panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia and exhaustion in the run-up to her period. Despite these hurdles, Vicky – who previously conquered I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! – is resolute about tackling Strictly full throttle.
Discussing the programme, she confessed: “It’s so out of my comfort zone… I’m not a performer. I’m a drinker, not a dancer. It’s been a long time since I’ve done the jungle and MasterChef, but Strictly definitely ups the ante on the anxiety front.”
Regarding her PMDD, she revealed: “It affects me in the 10 days before my period. That is panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia, exhaustion and in some moments, there can be suicidal thoughts. Like every woman dealing with it, I’m just riding the wave.
“There are moments I can be OK and be the bright, shiny version of myself that everyone expects, and then there are moments where I’m debilitated by it. Now, everything feels heightened and stressful. I’ve been burying my head in the sand a little bit saying it’s ages away, but it’s not. I’m learning as I go. Strictly take things into consideration.”
Craig Revel Horwood.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood has spoken candidly about his decades-long battle with body image issues. For over 35 years, Craig battled an eating disorder alongside body dysmorphic disorder – ailments he admits made him feel vulnerable and occasionally seriously ill.
Speaking in a 2008 Mail piece, Craig revealed how playground torment over being “short and fat” as a youngster haunted him well into his adult years. “When I studied myself in the mirror every morning and night, anything that wasn’t muscle I saw as fat. I was terribly insecure about my body and having my supposed flaws judged by others.
“I disgusted myself and I also felt guilty about my behaviour. I was never happy with what I saw but that is what body dysmorphia and eating disorders do to you. I was paranoid about everything that passed my lips and as I’d cut out protein, my energy was low.”
Decades of severe food restriction wreaked havoc on his physical health, damaging his complexion, weakening his defences against illness and crushing his spirits. However, in 1997, Craig started to recover when he transitioned from performing to directing and choreography – a career shift he credits with rescuing him.
He later mused that without this career change, he “would have come close to dying.”
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