Former Strictly Come Dancing winner Camilla Dallerup shared the reason she hasn't been on social media for a while in a moving post on her Instagram account over the Bank Holiday weekend. The former professional dancer posted a photo of herself with her dad and revealed the heartbreaking news that he had died after a difficult illness, which she hinted was cancer.
© Photo: WENNCamilla was a regular on Strictly for its first four years
The photo, which Camilla shared on Sunday afternoon, showed her and her dad in happier times, with their arms around each other, both smiling at the camera. In the caption, Camilla wrote: "Dad, always and forever by my side. I have been absent from social media as we have been by my father's bedside. I feel numb, empty and emotionally overwhelmed and drained as I write this. This has been the hardest thing we have ever have to face as a family, thankful we could be there together… The pain he felt was inhuman and my thoughts go out to all families who go through challenges like this whether it’s cancer or other illnesses."
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She went on: "My sister @jdallerup, mum @jyttedallerup niece @micheladallerup and I are devastated. He transitioned surrounded by us, just like he asked for, wrapped in our immense love for him. On our wedding day, he told me that when I left Denmark to move abroad there was a big void at home, now he is leaving the biggest void in our lives."
Camilla shared the emotional post with her followers on Sunday
She then paid tribute to her dad's influence on her life, writing: "Never have I met an earth angel like my dad who was a gentleman through and through, who to his last breath taught us and showed us the practice of grace, kindness and gratitude alongside strength and bravery, he was and will always be my hero… " She finished by addressing her dad directly, saying: "Love you forever! Be safe and keep spreading your magic," and adding the hashtags #love and #dad.
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Camilla competed on the first six seasons of Strictly between 2004 and 2008, lifting the glitterball trophy with Casualty actor Tom Chambers in her last year on the show. Originally from Denmark, she married another British actor, Kevin Sacre, in 2010, and now lives in Los Angeles, where she works as a life coach.
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