Moving house is generally considered one of life's most stressful events. But you wouldn't know it from talking to Kym Marsh, who just a few weeks before Christmas swapped one home for another after competing in Strictly Come Dancing.
"I'm very fortunate that I have a lot of people around who can help me out," she tells HELLO! as we catch up at her new abode in Cheshire.
WATCH: Kym Marsh and husband Scott reveal their Christmas wish
Kym, 46, and her tribe are the definition of a blended family, as three generations – her parents Pauline and Dave, children David, 27, Emilie, 25, and 11-year-old Polly, as well as stepchildren and grandchildren – join her and husband Scott Ratcliff for our exclusive photoshoot.
Still surrounded by packing boxes after moving into her five-bedroom house, the BBC presenter recently became the tenth celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly with her professional partner Graziano Di Prima.
READ MORE: Kym Marsh inundated with support after Strictly elimination
FULL LINE UP REVEALED: All the contestants for Strictly's Christmas special
"I'm happy to be back home because I had a lot on my plate," she says. "I was getting busier and busier and, if I'd been able to clear my schedule, I probably would have relaxed into it a bit more.
Kym Marsh with her family ahead of Christmas
"I'd also had a fractured rib from dancing for the last eight weeks, which nobody knew about, and I'd been having physio and dealing with that, which has been quite tricky."
There are several positives that she will take from the experience, such as her new-found confidence. Especially when, before a studio rehearsal, she suffered a panic attack.
"I've suffered from panic attacks for most of my adult life; I've learnt to cope with them and deal with them," explains the former Coronation Street actress.
"It was in week four or five, when the tiredness and stress had set in and I was working a lot away from home, and everything piled on top of me. Thankfully, I managed to pull myself together for the live show that evening."
The TV star has moved into her new home in Cheshire
Kym has also put her support behind HELLO's Christmas appeal for London- based charity Little Village, which operates baby banks to provide clothes, toys and equipment for babies and young children. "I know what it's like not to have much and to have the desire to make things better," she says.
In the near future she's looking forward to enjoying her new home. "After Strictly, I can't get enough sparkle and I'm ready for my own festive glitterball," says Kym of how the team at homeware brand Wayfair sprinkled some festive magic, with its resident style adviser Nadia McCowan Hill describing how "shimmering metallics have been mixed with clear glass baubles, feathers and glitter", while "soft pastel pink and nude tones add a pop of colour, with plenty of fairy lights to cast a magical glow".
Christmas styling: Nick Snow Interior Design Studio. For more information, visit wayfair.co.uk.
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