Catherine Tyldesley has said that being overweight as a child stopped her from pursuing her love of dance. The former Coronation Streetactress, who is set to appear on the 2019 series of Strictly, underwent a huge weight loss transformation in her 20s, going from a size 22 down to a size 10. And she has now spoken about overcoming the inhibitions she suffered as a child. "I've always wanted to learn to dance," the 35-year-old told the Sun. "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."
Catherine Tyldesley pictured at the Strictly 2019 launch event on Monday
Catherine has been throwing herself into Strictly rehearsals ahead of the first live show in September. Last week, she told her Twitter fans: "I can't believe I'm going to say this… It's 5.20am… and all I can think about is dancing! God I've got the bug! Big time!" The actress has also spoken about her ideal professional partner – and she's keeping her options open. Asked by a fan who she was hoping to be paired with, she replied: "Anyone that will have me" followed by three crying with laughter emojis.
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On Monday, Catherine joined her fellow Strictly celebs at the show's launch event. Notably, one star was missing from the glitzy event – Michelle Visage. The RuPaul's Drag Race judge was nowhere to be seen and missed out on all the glitz and glamour of the night, but according to reports, she had a very good reason for not joining in on the fun. The 50-year-old TV star is still in America due to other filming commitments and couldn’t get back to the UK on time, reports The Sun.
The actress is one of 15 celebs taking part in the upcming series
Despite being one celeb down, the launch show was a roaring success with the remaining 14 celebrities, judges Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel-Horwood, Shirley Ballas and new judge Motsi Mabuse all strutting their stuff in front of an excited crowd. The evening even concluded with an amazing performance from the one and only Kylie Minogue!