Strictly’s Catherine Tyldesley reveals weight struggles 'ruined' her dream of dancing
28 August 2019, 12:15 | Updated: 28 August 2019, 12:18
Former Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley wanted to be a dancer as a child, but says her weight held her back.
Catherine Tyldesley has opened up about her weight struggles which meant she gave up her ambition of dancing.
The former Coronation Street star, 35, was recently announced to be joining the Strictly Come Dancing line up along with a whole host of other celebrities.
And while joining the iconic BBC show is a dream for many, Catherine has confessed she would have pursued a career in dancing, but being ‘overweight’ as a child meant she hid away from the spotlight.
The actress has previously opened up about her dramatic body transformation in her 20s, which saw her drop from a size 22 to size ten.
Speaking about her recent TV gig, Catherine told The Sun: “I've always wanted to learn to dance.
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"It was something that I shied away from when I was younger. I was terrified of it. I was much bigger, so I didn't have the confidence.
"I'm a huge Strictly fan, so when the opportunity came up, I couldn't say no. I'm not a duck to water, but I'm having an amazing time."
The mum-of-one - who shares four-year-old son Alfie with husband Tom Pitford - then opened up on her training regime, admitting she’s been giving her body a rest over the past few months.
"Ironically, the past 12 months I've not trained as much, which is typical,” she said.
"I've been really busy with work and I just wanted a bit of a break. Then Strictly came up and I thought, 'oh brilliant'...
She added: "The group dance routine we've been learning... I thought I was relatively fit, but no.”
Catherine - who played Eva Price in ITV soap Corrie between 2011-2018 - also said she’s reached out to her former co-stars for advice.
She said: "I asked Gemma Atkinson, Lisa Riley and Tina O'Brien, of course, for tips.
"Everyone has said the same thing, 'you've just got to enjoy it'.”
Catherine will be joining the likes of Jamie Laing, Anneka Rice and David James for the star-studded 17th series of the show hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.
New judge Motsi Mabuse - sister of professional dancer Oti - will also make her debut alongside Craig Revel-Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli.
