‘Never dancing again’ – Dianne Buswell shocks with news about returning to ‘Strictly’ following health concerns.
Dianne Buswell Reveals Strictly Fears After Emergency C Section Left Her Questioning Dance Future
Dianne Buswell has opened up about the uncertainty surrounding her Strictly Come Dancing return after becoming a mother, revealing she was never completely sure she would be invited back to the BBC ballroom.
The professional dancer, who welcomed son Bowden with partner Joe Sugg in March, is officially returning for season 24 and is already back in rehearsals.
But before receiving confirmation, Dianne admitted she had wondered whether the show might decide to change its professional line-up.
“We’re so lucky to be there every single year, and you’re never guaranteed that you’ll be back,” she told The Sun.
“Of course, you always hope, but they’re putting on a show, and sometimes they will have to change it up.”
Dianne Wondered If She Would Be Back
Despite that uncertainty, Dianne said the support she received from the programme during her pregnancy gave her confidence that she still had a future on Strictly.
“You always think: ‘Am I going to be back or not?’” she explained.
“But because of how supportive they were to me when I was pregnant and talking about me coming back, I didn’t feel like they would do that.”
According to Dianne, those behind the show made it clear that becoming a mother did not have to mean giving up her career as a professional dancer.
“They were very aware that being a working mum while still dancing was possible, and they wanted to accommodate that,” she said.
Her eventual return is particularly significant given the difficult recovery she experienced following Bowden’s birth.
Emergency C Section Sparked Career Fears
Speaking on the Oxydise podcast in July, Dianne recalled how an emergency C-section initially left her questioning whether she would ever dance professionally again.
She described the early days of recovery as extremely painful, with even basic movements becoming difficult.
“You basically are bedridden, and also it’s your hormones going wild as well,” she said.
“So you’ve got that on top of pain, on top of having this newborn, and wanting to give it all your attention, but also you can’t even get out of bed.”
Dianne said even sitting upright could feel like a major challenge.
“There was one night I had to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, and I just burst into tears because the pain of just sitting up or having to manoeuvre myself out of bed was just unbearable.”
The physical impact quickly made her think about her career.
“I was like, ‘How am I going to recover, and will I ever be able to dance again?’” she recalled.
“That was my initial thought.”
She continued: “This has absolutely torn through my muscles. I’m never going to be able to dance again. I’ve lost all mobility in my legs. I’ve lost my core strength.”
Dianne described the experience as “very intense.”
Recovery Began to Turn a Corner
Fortunately, her recovery gradually improved.
Dianne said she began to notice a meaningful change once she reached approximately the two-week mark.
Since then, she has shared clips of herself dancing again alongside her Strictly co-stars, showing just how far she has come since those first difficult days after surgery.
She has even brought Bowden along to watch rehearsals, blending her return to work with her new life as a mother.
Her participation in the upcoming series confirms that the fears she experienced during recovery did not become reality.
Dianne will once again be part of the professional line-up, although viewers will have to wait to discover which celebrity she will be paired with.
The partnerships have not yet been revealed.
The new series launches on Saturday, September 19, on BBC One and iPlayer.
For Dianne, the return marks more than simply another season on Strictly.
Only months after questioning whether she would regain the strength and mobility needed to dance again, she is back in full rehearsals and preparing for another run in the ballroom.
