STRICTLY Come Dancing star Mike Bushell has revealed the series is the secret to his slimmer look – losing a whopping one stone in weight since the show began.
Strictly has only aired three live shows so far in the 2019 run yet these, plus the gruelling off-screen training of the professionals and their celebrity partners, have worked wonders for the BBC One host.
The sports presenter, aged 53, told how his wife and three daughters had even commented on his slimmer look.
During Strictly’s results show, Mike told host Claudia Winkleman: “The hours we’ve put in I have lost about a stone!
“People say I am taller because of my posture and my daughters think Katya has banished the dad dancer from the training room!”
He added: “I mean he is only outside the door, so he can come back any time but we are determined to keep him out there and to try and keep on improving.”
Mike’s training regime was notched up a level during this week’s choreography, during which he and Katya scooped 18 points for their Magic Mike themed Cha Cha Cha to It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls.
The lively routine saw the Russian slip on two occasions unexpectedly – causing some to speculate she was “on something”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast today, Katya, 30, said: “I’m a professional ‘faller-over’.
“It was quite ridiculous that people thought I was drunk that I was on something that I need to check with the doctor.
“The second fall was clearly for fun, to take the mick out of myself.”
When quizzed on what happened during Saturday night’s routine, Katya said: “I have no idea. It was a slip or tripping over my feet.
“I was so in the moment, and then the next thing I knew I was on the floor.
“These things happen in dancing, it’s no big deal.
“You just carry on.”
Off screen, he has continually promoted sport and healthy living in his Saturday morning slot on BBC One.
He has tried out and profiled more than 350 sports on the segment, during which he tries to “inspire people off the sofa”.
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