Dianne Buswell has made history as the first pregnant professional dancer to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, calling the experience "really empowering." The Australian dancer, who is expecting a baby boy with partner Joe Sugg next year, recently reflected on her nine-year journey on the BBC show during an appearance on spin-off show It Takes Two. She told viewers: «It is quite cool to say to my future son, 'I actually danced with you in my tummy there'.»
The candid revelation comes as Buswell has also opened up about her past struggles with an eating disorder during her formative years in dance. In an interview on This Morning, she described the overwhelming mental burden: «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?» She attributed the pressure to her early dance training, explaining she felt compelled to look a certain way to match other successful dancers. The dancer has since documented her experiences in a book titled "Eating Disorders Don't Discriminate."
Personal challenges and triumphs
Buswell's recent reflections also touched on her father Mark's successful battle with cancer in Australia. The dancer shared an emotional Instagram post celebrating his completion of six months of chemotherapy: «To my daddy you did it 6 months later and 12 rounds done.» From afar in the UK, she expressed pride in his strength throughout the difficult treatment, writing: «I am so so PROUD of you it's been a tough road but you have always done it with a smile and a thumbs up.»
Her relationship with Joe Sugg began during the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing, when they were paired as dance partners and reached the final. Buswell told The Express: «I feel like all the stars aligned with Joe because we're just literally such similar people in so many ways.» The couple moved in together in 2019 and now live in a countryside property in Sussex. Their pregnancy announcement came before the current series, though Buswell's competitive participation ended early when partner Stefan Dennis withdrew due to a torn calf.
Last year, Buswell achieved her first Glitterball Trophy win with comedian Chris McCausland, who made history as the show's first blind contestant to win the competition. She reflected on Instagram after the victory about shifting her perspective from chasing trophies to finding joy in the journey itself. Despite her competitive season ending prematurely this year, Buswell continues to perform in group routines and remains enthusiastic about her future on the show, telling It Takes Two: «Everyone is always like, when are you going to leave and I am like 'no' how many more years can I do.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
