'It's even better than I could have imagined': Dani Dyer is relishing Strictly Come Dancing experience
Strictly Come Dancing star Dani Dyer says it has been worth the wait to compete on the BBC's Saturday night favourite after injury forced her out of last year's series.
Dani Dyer is having the "time of (her) life" on Strictly Come Dancing.
The 30-year-old star finally got the chance to compete on the BBC show this year after an ankle injury forced her to withdraw from last year's series before it had even started and says the wait has been worth it.
Dani, who is dancing with pro partner Nikita Kuzmin, told Closer magazine: "I'm having the time of my life.
"All of my family are like, 'Dan, I've never seen you so happy!' I wake up every day and it's just so fun – getting up, dancing all day... it's just incredible. It's even better than I could have imagined.
"I walk into the make-up room and I'm so excited – I want to sleep in my costumes. I'm usually a Primark pyjama girly – I'm not glamorous! And Nikita's the best. We have so much fun – we're like boy-girl versions of each other!"
The former Love Island star explained that she loves the improved physique that Strictly training has given her.
Dani – who has twins Summer and Star, three, with her footballer husband Jarrod Bowen and son Santiago, five, from her relationship with former partner Sammy Kimmence – said: "I think my abs might be down to Nikita and all the figure of eights he's had me doing with my hips!
"I'm just so hungry at the moment, but I suppose we're burning a lot of calories, aren't we? I'm still fitting in my reformer Pilates and hot yoga, though – I think it's so good for the mind."
Dani has been open about her struggles with anxiety but credits Nikita for keeping her calm amid the pressures of the Strictly dancefloor.
The star, the daughter of Rivals actor Danny Dyer, said: "I've always been an Anxious Annie.
"But Nikita is really good with me – we do breathing exercises which have helped. There's been so much build-up that I get petrified before we dance! But I'm really happy, and I need to remember it's fun. It's a great show."
Dani continued: "I hope I can inspire people to feel the fear and do it anyway. You can never explain what makes you feel anxious – it's one of the hardest things to deal with. Every day is so different.
"When it comes to the live shows, I feel like I can't do it, but then I can. So it's just trying to ignore the noise and not letting anxiety defeat you."
