FOR the past few months, the Strictly professionals have been on tenterhooks, waiting for the nod that they were safe for another series.
The departure of hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, after over a decade at the helm, paved the way for a revamp of the BBC1 show.
Strictly pro Dianne Buswell tells all on her baby, the new line-up and the fears she would never dance again Credit: Euan Danks
The dancer was welcomed back to the Strictly dance floor after giving birth in March Credit: Euan Danks
It led to a cull of five pro dancers: Karen Hauer, Gorka Márquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas.
But one person whose future on the show never seemed in doubt was fan favourite Dianne Buswell.
The 37-year-old Aussie, who won in 2024 with comedian Chris McCausland, was welcomed back to the dance floor after giving birth in March to her son Bowden – known as Bowie – who she shares with her YouTuber partner Joe Sugg.
“In any industry, you have to freshen things up all the time, so you never know,” she says.
“We’re so lucky to be there every single year and you’re never guaranteed that you’ll be back. Of course, you always hope, but they’re putting on a show, and sometimes they will have to change it up.
“You always think: ‘Am I going to be back or not?’ 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 [axe her]. They were very aware that being a working mum while still dancing was possible and they wanted to accommodate that.”
The new series will kick off in two weeks with a trio of new hosts, Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and professional dancer Johannes Radebe, who Dianne is in full support of.
“It’s quite genius,” she says.
The star pictured with baby son Bowden, know as Bowie Credit: Instagram/Dianne Buswell
Dianne and dance partner Chris McCausland on Strictly in 2024 Credit: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire
“Because obviously, you don’t want to just replace Tess and Claud with two women. They’re irreplaceable, and people would just compare them. It’s so clever they’ve done this, because it’s going to be so different. Everyone loves JoJo, so talking to him is going to be super-easy.
“Josh will be so funny. I met him when he did the Christmas special. He was so fascinated by it all and how the whole show worked. He was easy to talk to as well.
“Emma is a safe pair of hands and she’s so loved in the industry. I’m excited to chat to her about babies and how she trained to be a midwife. I can bring Bowie in to meet her! But I honestly think the three of them are going to be great together.”
And as well as the new hosts, Dianne has had a whole raft of new pros to get to know, too, including the second-youngest signing ever, 21-year-old Maddie Ingoldsby, as well as Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi and Mark Karmalita.
“I was excited to go back,” Dianne says. “I like change. The new pros are brilliant. They bring a new energy to the room. It was really fun to meet them and see what they bring to the cast.
“At just two weeks older than Katya Jones, I’m the eldest female pro now. I was a young one when I joined in 2017 and got put with people like Joe [the pair fell in love after being partnered in the 2018 series] but now I’m the oldie. That also feels nice. I came back as a bit of a mother figure to the new pros. I quite like that new role.”
But Dianne is giving the kids a run for their money on social media, with a huge 3.2m followers on Instagram and TikTok.
The Jattvibe previously revealed the show was taking after its American counterpart by actively recruiting celebs and pros that would attract a huge online audience.
It’s not a total coincidence that the pros who were axed each had less than 50k TikTok followers at the time.
“I don’t know if that is a thing, to be honest,” admits Dianne.
“But I love doing all the social media stuff. Maybe since I met Joe, I was brought into that world a bit more. I like sharing my life on YouTube, because my family back home get to see what I’m doing and watch Bowie grow up. I’ve never felt pressure to do it.”
And it’s not just the new dancers Dianne has befriended.
She admits that becoming a parent has brought her closer to some of the returning pros, too.
“Aljaž Škorjanec [who has three-year-old daughter Lyra with Janette Manrara], Neil Jones [who has two-year-old daughter Havana] and I are like the the mum and dad club,” she jokes.
“We share pictures – I probably show far too many photos, and people roll their eyes and say: ‘Great, you’ve shown me this already!’”
Dianne, who breastfeeds Bowie throughout our interview, is clearly relishing motherhood.
“Life is busy, but it’s the happiest I’ve ever been,” she says, smiling.
“But also the most tired. It’s a bag of emotions. The last five months have been incredible. I’ve loved every second of it. People always say: ‘Oh, it goes so fast,’ and it does. Even though you’re exhausted because you’re doing everything for this little human, it’s still the best ever. I don’t think I’ve woken up any morning grumpy, because I can’t help but smile when I look at him.”
Not only did she pick up a “Most Memorable Moment” BAFTA last year for her waltz with Strictly’s first-ever blind contestant Chris, but she also made history as the first pregnant pro to compete on the show.
Unfortunately, she had to leave in week four, after her partner – Neighbours star Stefan Dennis – tore his calf muscle.
Dianne won a TV BAFTA last year Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
There was a time when Dianne feared she would never be able to dance again Credit: Euan Danks
“It was pretty wild,” she admits.
“The first trimester, when no one knew, was the hardest, because you’ve got morning sickness. I was wearing those sickness wrist bands with hair scrunchies over the top so no one would notice. But by the second trimester, I felt incredibly good. I stopped just at the right time at 27 weeks. I look back and go: ‘Wow, that was good going.’
“But if we had stayed in and made the final, I feel like I could’ve done it. I always said: ‘I’ll see week by week how I go.’ The Strictly team knew that, they had pros to step in if needed. I didn’t put pressure on myself.”
While everyone at Strictly was supportive, some online trolls were not.
One commented: “Watching her dance with her bump makes me queasy,” and another added: “She can’t continue if she gets any bigger.”
“It’s an interesting one, because it was mostly from older women,” she admits.
“There were definitely more positive comments, but there were quite a few negative ones. All I could go off was what my doctor had told me. They said: ‘Keep doing what you do.’
“I’ve danced my whole life. They don’t advise women to take up dancing if you’ve never done it. But if it’s something that your body is used to, then keep doing that. I went off medical advice and laughed it off when people said nasty things like: ‘I can’t watch Strictly any more because this girl is doing cartwheels pregnant.’ It was a bit mad. Would I do it again? Maybe not with two. It’s still early days, but I would absolutely love one more baby, if not two more.”
There was a time when Dianne feared she would never be able to dance again.
The Aussie pro had to undergo an emergency C-section, which left her bedbound in agonising pain.
“I was hoping to have a natural birth, but it didn’t work out that way. I was frightened of not being able to feel my legs. It was scary and I didn’t think about the recovery at the time.
“There were moments where I was lying in bed, needing to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. I had to wake Joe and say: ‘Please come and get me,’ because I physically couldn’t use my stomach to get out of bed. I remember crying in his arms because I was in so much pain. It was a real shock to the system. I don’t think I realised how much women went through.”
In the months afterwards, Dianne slowly built up her strength.
“I took trying to rehabilitate my body quite seriously,” she says.
“It was very slow. I knew taking my time would make me stronger, so I didn’t go crazy with exercise. I did the bare minimum I could do, like walking a lot, as the more exercise I tried to do, the more it would hurt. Then I built up to simple weights and some Pilates. By then, I knew my body would be able to dance again. It’s like riding a bike, but it’s getting all those muscles to fire up again.”
Of course, one of the main issues dancers have after giving birth is their bodies changing.
Former pro Oti Mabuse talked about how different her body was after pregnancy, and it’s something Dianne can relate to.
With her partner, YouTuber Joe Sugg Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images
Dianne with The Jattvibe’s Kelly Allen
“For sure my body shape has changed,” she says.
“But, weirdly, it’s the best I’ve ever felt. Before the Strictly season would start, I’d be like: ‘I’ve got to get to the gym every day. I’ve got to make sure I’m looking a certain way.’ The pressure of going into the studio with all these girls that look incredible is quite high. But this year, I felt the most confident.
“That’s been the biggest thing I’ve taken from it. I was worried I’d struggle with my body changing, but going back to dancing and feeling better has been amazing. I’ll not be worrying about the skimpy costumes. The body is such an incredible thing. Mentally, I feel better than ever.”
And Dianne isn’t just enjoying a new-found love of her body. She’s found a deeper love for Joe, too.
“Joe’s always been destined to be a dad,” she says.
“But actually seeing it happen in the flesh, he’s brilliant. When he’s older, they will cause mayhem together, running around. When I go to rehearsals, he’s been enjoying getting to spend the day just the two of them. I definitely love him more than ever. I have a new respect for him, too, and I think he feels the same.”
She’s clearly smitten with Joe, 34, but will there be wedding bells any time soon?
“Kids were our main priority,” she says.
“We always wanted children before we would think of getting married. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to get married one day. Now we have Bowie, who knows?”
While Dianne’s family in Australia haven’t been able to spend much time with Bowie yet, Joe and his family have been around to lend a hand.
His sister Zoë – AKA YouTuber Zoella – and her husband Alfie Deyes have two daughters, Ottilie, four, and Novie, two, who are thrilled to have a male cousin.
“It’s been the hardest thing not having my family closer,” she says.
“My parents came over, but my brothers haven’t met him yet. We are all going over at Christmas so he will get to meet the whole family then.
“Joe’s family have been really good. It’s brilliant having them so close by. The girls adore him, it’s so cute. He’s the only boy on that side of the family, so he gets spoiled. They are all Bowie fans.”
As well as a baby in tow, there’s another noticeable change in Dianne – she’s ditched her bright-red hair.
“I needed a change after 14 years,” she says. “Red is an angry colour so it doesn’t put you in the best mood!
“The only good thing about the bright-red hair was you could spot me in the group dances. But I’m OK with that now. Before I had Bowden, I wanted it to be the brightest and always stand out. Now I’m fine. I don’t need to. I’m so content with it all. I’m OK.”
Watch Strictly Come Dancing, from Saturday September 19 on BBC1 and iPlayer.
