She's no stranger to exercise after revealing she struggled with her weight as a child – but Catherine Tyldesley has revealed that Strictly has forced her to up her regime so she's able to cope with the long hours and endless dance rehearsals. The former Coronation Street star has been calling on her personal trainer husband, Tom Pitford, to help her build her stamina by incorporating lots of cardio into her workout.
"I've been doing more cardio. I've tried to do more," the 35-year-old told HELLO! and other reporters ahead of Saturday's Strictly launch show. "My husband's a PT and he said, 'Let's get your feet moving faster,' and in the first few sessions he was like, 'Okay, now go faster,' and I was like, 'No, this is fast! This is it!' and he'd be like, 'Oh my God,' so that's been quite stressful," she added. "But we're still married so…"
Catherine is working on her fitness
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Last month Catherine confessed that being overweight as a child stopped her from pursuing her love of dance. The mum-of-one, who underwent a huge weight loss transformation in her 20s, going from a size 22 down to a size 10, recently spoke about overcoming the inhibitions she suffered as a child. "I've always wanted to learn to dance," she 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 and her PT husband Tom Pitford
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Catherine has been throwing herself into Strictly rehearsals. Last month, 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 Twitter follower 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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