Strictly's Dianne Buswell details shock battle with bulimia and heart attack fears
Dancing pro Dianne Buswell opened up about her horrific eating disorder that almost caused a "heart attack". Last year, the Strictly Come Dancing professional star, 35, spoke up about the terrifying ordeal and admitted that she once "worked out six hours a day" and hid her struggles from her concerned family and friends.
The dancer, who is paired with blind comedian Chris McCausland on this year's show, then learned that "there is no such thing as the perfect body" as she sought help and started to take care of herself. Earlier last year, the Australian dancer first detailed how her bulimia began, and how extreme it became, resulting in her passing out and being unable to move at the height of her battle.
Speaking to Closer, Dianne said: "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.
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"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."
The dancer, who was then told she was at risk of cardiac arrest by doctors, admitted: "It got to a stage where I was very weak and had anxiety about being on stage."
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She'd "lose the ability to know what to do next" and that was when Dianne realised enough was enough as her secret battle was "affecting her day to day." After speaking to her loved ones and starting to take care of her body, Dianne spoke about her issues.
She said: "Rather than neglecting your body to look a certain way, it's about how you feel, and that's been the most rewarding lesson. I would say to my younger self now, 'there's no such thing as the so-called perfect body' - it's not realistic."
Now Dianne is "really grateful" for her body and says it's one of her "greatest achievements" that she was able to recover from her battle and come out the other end.
Dianne made it to the Strictly final with her celeb partner Bobby Brazier last Christmas, but the pair did not manage to bag the Glitterball trophy, with Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola crowned winners instead.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie
