Loose Women star Judi Love was one of the last celebrities to join the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line up last week.
As the announcement was made on the ITV daytime show, Judi and her fellow Loose Women stars looked entirely thrilled.
But is there a special reason Judi has signed up for the show?
Strictly Come Dancing line up: Judi Love wants to continue parents’ ‘legacy’
It’s certainly been a tough time of late for the single mum of two after she lost her dad in April.
His death follows that of her mother back in 2009 after a battle with dementia.
Read more: Judi Love reveals she had a near-death experience at a family wedding
And Judi has opened up about wanting to continue her parents’ “legacy”.
Judi has admitted that she cared for both of her parents, revealing that her dad’s death left her feeling “empty and heartbroken for many reasons”.
Posting on Instagram, she added: “These last few weeks I tried to make you comfortable. I tried to get to you Dad. I really did. Rest well.”
On Loose Women she also opened up about the kind of dad he was, and it seems Judi got her sense of humour from her father.
“My dad he was very comical, the both of them. He had quite an expressive voice, the accent, when he would do his posh accent, just very vibrant.
“For me I’m at a place where I just take each day as it comes.
“I just think to myself, I had these two parents who were migrants, came from Jamaica and I have a world of opportunities. I meet amazing people and I just want to continue that legacy.”
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What did Strictly star Judi say about her mum?
Opening up about her mother’s death, Strictly Come Dancing hopeful Judi admitted she “screamed and cried” when her mum forgot who she was.
Judi cared for her mum until she died and was left feeling “emotionally drained” by her mother’s condition.
Read more: Rylan Clark-Neal to make ‘TV return on Strictly’s It Takes Two’
She also detailed how tough it is seeing someone “you’ve grown with and you’ve loved” turn into a “shell” of a person.
She said: “The spirit of the person is gone and you’ve got the shell. As a carer, I can’t even explain the emotional [impact]. It’s so draining.
“I remember one time I was with my mum, she just didn’t know who I was,” Judi said.
“I went to my friend’s house and I went to the kitchen and I just screamed and cried and cried and cried.”
She added: “I can’t explain seeing someone you’ve grown with or you’ve loved and they’re gone, they’re absolutely gone.”
How did Judi rise to fame?
Judi has two degrees, one in Community Arts and Social Science and a Masters in Social Work. And she studied for them while caring for her two kids singlehandedly.
It was while at uni that she discovered her love of comedy after performing in front of her class as part of a module.
She shared the comedic side of caring for her dementia-stricken mother, and later made her stage debut with 2011’s Laughter is Healing.
Since then she’s been on Celebrity MasterChef, This is My House and Loose Women, which she started on in 2020.
Is Strictly Come Dancing hopeful Judi Love married with kids?
It was on the ITV daytime show that Judi gave an insight into her love life, admitting she’s single and ready to mingle.
Judi is also a mum of two kids, who she keeps out of the spotlight. But she has spoken about the impact racism has had on her son.
Judi said: “As a black parent, having to have that conversation with my son at seven years old and explaining to him: ‘You’re a young black boy, and you might be put in a situation where you are judged solely on the basis of your skin,’ is heartbreaking.”
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