Dancer Di had to exorcise her exercise demons

STRICTLY Come Dancing professional dancer Dianne Buswell has revealed she couldn’t do the show if she hadn’t sorted out her image demons.

Nine years ago, excessive exercise led to her developing anaemia and ending up in hospital.

Tonight, she returns to primetime TV as the Strictly live shows return. With her shock of red hair, enviable figure and bags of selfconfidence, it seems surprising she struggled with body image.

But the 30-year-old Australian is insistent she wants to be a good role model for fans of the show, whose celebs this year include Anneka Rice, James Cracknell and Catherine Tyldesley.

She said: “You get successful for the person that you are, not for the way you look. If you feel good, you can conquer the world, so you need to feel right inside.

“The minute you have all these insecurities, you get anxiety, and it stops you from doing things. I would never have achieved what I’ve achieved now if I hadn’t sorted myself out from the inside.”

The dancer, who this year is partnered with Radio 1 DJ Dev Griffin, said her obsession with her weight in her early 20s threatened her career.

Dianne added: “It was a very vicious circle. Thank God I caught it when I did.”

● Dianne’s full interview is in the October issue of Happiful. Read more Strictly news on pages 20&21