Strictly star Dianne Buswell has opened up about her battle with bulimia that almost caused her to have a heart attack.
The 34-year-old Australian dancer recently participated in this year’s Strictly final with EastEnders star Bobby Brazier. At 20 years old, Bobby was the youngest celebrity to take part in this series. However, despite making it to the final, the pair lost out on the glitterball trophy to former Corrie actor Ellie Leach.
Strictly star Dianne Buswell: ‘For so long I didn’t tell anyone, not even my parents’
Earlier this year, Strictly star Dianne opened up about how her bulimia first began and the struggles she faced while unwell.
“As a dancer, I used to think I had to look a certain way to be cast in something, but that’s not the case at all. Very thin can sometimes mean you’re not doing things the correct way or looking after yourself well,” she told Closer.
She continued: “For so long I didn’t tell anyone, not even my parents. I would say, ‘Oh I’m fine I’m fine, there’s nothing – I’m just loving working out six hours a day.’ I didn’t, but I was covering it up.”
Dianne’s eating disorder became so serious that doctors warned her that she was at risk of cardiac arrest. When she would have to go on stage, she found herself feeling “very weak” and having anxiety.
Her secret battle was “affecting her day to day” and she would “lose the ability to know what to do next.”
Speaking to loved ones helped Dianne take care of herself
Once Dianne found the strength to open up to loved ones about her illness and started to take care of her body, she began to discuss her past issues.
Dianne stated that “the most rewarding lesson” is realising it’s about “how you feel” inside rather than “neglecting your body to look a certain way.”
“I would say to my younger self now, ‘there’s no such thing as the so-called perfect body’ – it’s not realistic,” she said.
Following her struggle, Dianne is “really grateful” for the body she has. She insisted that it’s one of her “greatest achievements” to have recovered and overcome her battle with bulimia.
Read more: Strictly star Dianne Buswell admits she and Joe Sugg want children ‘one day’
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