STRICTLY COME DANCING'S DIANNE BUSWELL'S BRAVE STATEMENT OVER HEALTH BATTLE

Chris McCausland's Strictly Come Dancing partner, Dianne Buswell, was joked by the comedian to be "over the moon" about their pairing as it promised an early departure - but they defied expectations by lifting the Glitterball Trophy. Their routines throughout the most recent series mesmerised audiences.

The Australian-born professional dancer has established herself as a viewer favourite since her arrival on the BBC One dancing show in 2017. Recognised for her vivacious character, vibrant red locks and creative choreography, she's come close to claiming the coveted title on two occasions.

This series saw her partnered with fellow Australian, Stefan Dennis, who unfortunately withdrew from the BBC dancing contest prematurely following an injury.

Throughout her stint on the programme, Dianne also discovered romance with one of her celebrity dance partners, and the pair remain together today, reports Wales Online.

Formative years in Australia and lesser-known career

Born on 6 May 1989, Dianne originates from Bunbury in Western Australia. Her passion for dance sparked at just five years old after observing her siblings performing at their dance studio, according to the Manchester Evening News, reports Wales Online.

She subsequently participated in National and International Ballroom and Latin contests representing Western Australia, reaching the finals of the Amateur Australian Open on four separate occasions. Together with her brother Andrew, she secured the Western Australian Open Adult New Vogue championship titles in both 2008 and 2010.

At merely 18, she secured her spot on the Australian programme So You Think You Can Dance, reaching the top 20 female contestants from thousands of hopefuls nationwide. This accomplishment paved the way for Dianne to become part of the internationally renowned and award-winning stage production Burn the Floor.

Following her global tour with the show, she headed back to Australia to become a professional dancer on the television programme Dancing with the Stars. It wasn't long before Strictly Come Dancing beckoned.

However, she juggled another profession alongside her dancing career that numerous fans remain unaware of. Prior to establishing herself as a professional dancer, Dianne operated as a hairdresser in her native Australia.

She's said: "I had two dreams, dancing and becoming a hairdresser - I'm thrilled to have achieved both."

During her appearance on Michael McIntyre's The Wheel on BBC One in 2022, she selected hair as her specialist subject. When questioned about her selection, she explained: "I was a hairdresser. I had my own salon and then I went to dancing."

Strictly Come Dancing and the week four curse

Dianne's initial Strictly celebrity partner, Reverend Richard Coles, found it difficult to impress the judging panel, leaving the 2017 series in week three. Whilst she progressed to the grand finale in 2018 with Joe Sugg, her subsequent partnerships proved less successful, with radio presenter Dev Griffin departing in week four of 2019.

Dianne experienced a similar fate with pop star Max George in 2020, and in 2021 was paired with comedian Robert Webb, who had to bow out during week four due to health issues.

In 2022, she twirled around the dance floor with radio DJ Tyler West, but their journey ended in Blackpool during week nine. In 2023, she reached the final with EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier, but they were pipped to the Glitterball Trophy by Coronation Street's Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola.

Dianne subsequently voiced her gratitude for being partnered with Bobby, stating that dancing with him had been a "win" for her. She posted on Instagram: "I used to be so obsessed with winning a sparkly trophy constantly thinking about that moment and what it would feel like. But what I have realised [is] dancing with this wonderful human is that the win and the sparkle is everywhere if you want it to be."

Struggles with eating disorder

Dianne has previously spoken candidly about her struggle with an eating disorder that left her "terrified" to dance. Speaking on This Morning, she revealed her obsession with food and excessive exercise.

She admitted: "You wake up in the morning, and the first thing you think of is, what am I going to eat? How many calories are going to be in that? How much do I need to exercise to burn off those calories?".

"It literally is like a planned thing in your mind that doesn't go away. And that's when you start to go, "Oh, this is a problem because I'm not thinking of anything else." She also discussed the immense pressure she experienced to control her weight as a professional dancer, revealing how the 'terrifying' weekly weigh-ins at her dance academy impacted her during childhood. She added: "I think it comes from when I was quite a young girl. And obviously growing up in the dance world, you're taught to look a certain way and you see all these other beautiful girls dancing. You kind of want to look like that and want to be winning like they are.

"And they look a certain way so I feel like I should look that way. So I think it was it was something from a really young age."

She ultimately conquered her battles and has chronicled her experience in the publication Eating Disorders Don't Discriminate, with the aim of helping others confronting comparable difficulties.

Finding love with Joe Sugg

Dianne and content creator Joe Sugg made their relationship official following their partnership in the 2018 series of Strictly, where they progressed to the grand finale. In conversation with the Express, she confessed she never imagined discovering romance on the show.

She said: "I feel like all the stars aligned with Joe because we're just literally such similar people in so many ways. We're very different in ways too, but just our personalities just click so, so well.

"I always think it's so weird how we met and I feel like everything was just aligned in the right place, right time for both of us. It was pretty special."

She said they still dance together, although she joked his memory of the routines has somewhat diminished. She said: "When we're at home and a nice song comes on the radio or something, I definitely go like, 'Oh do you remember this Joe - that song that we danced to on the show?'.

"And Joe will be like, 'I can't remember any of that now,' but then I'll re enact the whole dance and he'll be like, 'How do you do that?' So yeah, we still do have a joke around."

Dianne relocated to Joe's flat in 2019, with the content creator revealing that he gave her a card which read, 'So I have officially invited you to live in my humble abode with me. Do you want to move in with me? Yes or no. Circle your choice. All my love, Joseph.'

She accepted, telling her Instagram followers: "I said yes.... of course. Then I whispered to him do you realise how messy I can be!".

The couple have since left London and now reside in a countryside property in Sussex, where they are expecting their first child.

Father's cancer battle

Dianne has confessed that her native Australia can feel incredibly remote now that she's established a life in the UK with Joe, despite her love for living here. Speaking to the Express, she said: "One weird thing, I suppose, is that I just go, 'Wow, I'm actually so far away from where I was born'. Then I think, 'Oh my god, like, of all the places I now am living!".

"The UK is a full 24 hour plane ride away from my hometown. And obviously my family are all so far away from me. But I must say, I do love the UK and I do love all the people here and I love my job here so, yeah, I really enjoy the UK."

After wrapping up Strictly's 2023 series, Dianne journeyed back to Australia to visit her family, particularly her father Mark, who was undergoing a six-month chemotherapy course for cancer. Dianne hailed him as her "hero", lauding his resilience and positive attitude throughout his treatment.

She posted a video montage on Instagram documenting moments from his hospital visits, including the poignant scene where he rang the bell marking the end of his treatment. She penned: "To my daddy you did it 6 months later and 12 rounds done.

"I am so so PROUD of you it's been a tough road but you have always done it with a smile and a thumbs up. I know you were scared and I know it was not easy but you have done it."

At an earlier stage in Mark's battle with cancer, she discussed the challenge of being so far from home, saying: "I wish so much I could be there right now and just cuddle you. You're my hero and you have made me realise we all have so much more strength then we think."

Why her iconic red hair serves as her 'comfort blanket'

Dianne is recognised for her striking crimson locks and has disclosed she was fascinated by hair as a youngster. She revealed she was "captivated by colour" and would cut, style and dye the hair of her Barbie dolls, recalling: "I actually remember for Easter most years, my mum would ask which Easter egg I wanted and I just really wanted hair colour, so mum would buy me a box hair colour instead of an Easter egg."

Her path to the bold scarlet shade she's known for today wasn't simple and she explained: "I always liked an undertone of red but when I went bright red for a dance show, something clicked. I felt different - more fiery, more passionate. It changed the way I danced."

She describes how her eye-catching colour has helped her stand out in her dancing career, especially on Strictly: "It's given me that extra pizzazz and confidence. People recognise me as 'the red-haired girl', and it's become a part of my identity.

"Maybe one day I'll go back to a more natural shade," she concedes, "but right now, it's hard to part with the red. It's more than just a colour - it's my comfort blanket."

She also said: "I've had red hair for about ten years now. I'm a hairdresser by trade, though I haven't done it in a salon for many, many years. But when I was hairdressing, I literally had every single colour you could imagine. I had blonde, I had black, I had brown, I had black with red stripes, I had black with blonde streaks - it was just like that hairdresser thing where you're just constantly changing the colour of your hair.

"And then, when I started dancing on stage, I went from jet black to honey blonde. And then I got bored - so I put a red dye over it one day and was like, 'I kind of like this', and it stuck.

"Everyone was like, 'Oh my god - red really suits you and works with your eyes'. Then since I went on Strictly Come Dancing, I've been known as the girl with red hair."

2025-11-11T08:04:48Z