Happiful October 2019

“He brings out the
absolute best in me,
and he loves my
personality”
Jumpsuit | Mango
stemmed from worrying whether
I’d get through it. I was dancing the
show thinking: ‘I don’t think I can
do this.’ It was a very vicious circle.
Thank God I caught it when I did.”
Dianne vividly remembers flying
home from America at the end of
the tour, and into the arms of her
mother who was “beside herself”
with worry about her daughter,
and rushed her to the doctor. After
a series of routine blood tests,
Dianne was driving home with
Rina when the doctor phoned to
say she was suffering from iron
deficiency anaemia, and required
immediate hospital treatment.
“I’ll never forget the moment
I had the iron transfusion. The
feeling was like no other,” smiles
Dianne. “They pumped iron into
me and after I went home, for the
fun of it because I felt so good, I
went for a run. I didn’t feel puffed,
I didn’t feel ill, I just felt alive again.
That was the best feeling.”
As she talks through the litany
of events, tables surrounding
our corner spot fill, and at one
point there’s a momentary lull
in background music, which
prompts Dianne to hush her voice.
Ironically, this is the bit that should
be shouted from the rooftops.
“Since that point, it was a massive
turning point for me. I realised I’d
100% put my career on the line,
and I never wanted to return to that
state, ever,” says Dianne.
She took “two or three months”
off work to “get herself sorted”,
where she surrounded herself with
loved ones, and educated herself
on nutrition by reading books.
She’s never regressed, and remains
inspired to stay healthy in body
and mind because of how close she
came to losing her dream.
Dianne, who made her foray
into ballroom dancing aged four,
says that as a fledgling dancer she
never had a role model, and would
have benefited from hearing a
professional dancer talk about the
science of nutrition. She adds that
young girls and boys starting out
in dance should also be offered
compulsory counselling to give
them the emotional tools to cope
with being judged physically.
Since joining Strictly, and
romancing a vlogger who boasts
27 million followers across
various social channels, public
interest in Dianne has intensified
– something she’s “definitely”
noticed. Fan forums dissect the
minutiae of her relationship,
photographs from the couple’s
recent holiday to Mykonos
appeared on websites galore, and
then came media speculation
about an impending pregnancy.
As it goes, a baby is on the way
– Dianne and Joe’s first ever
national variety tour, The Joe &
Dianne Show, which kicks off next
March. They’re currently penning
scripts and choreographing dance
routines, which Joe – bless him –
practises every morning. >>>
October 2019 • happiful.com • 21