Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Anneka Rice, who was partnered with Kevin Clifton in the 2019 series, has admitted that she got "quite depressed" after taking part in the series after struggling with injuries.
MORE: Strictly star Anneka Rice's engagement joy as son Tom proposes – but it didn't all go to plan
Chatting on the My Mate Bought a Toaster podcast, she explained: "I was so broken I’d limp back home... into an ice-cold bath. I think on the whole the experience is, in theory, so joyful you forget things like that. It’s like childbirth, you just forget... but I was in physio for three months afterwards because I had such bad whiplash."
WATCH: Karen Hauer becomes Strictly's longest-serving female pro
She continued: "Luckily, the Strictly physio used to run a whiplash clinic, so he was all over it. But it brings you down very low because I’d never really been badly injured in my life, considering all the lunatic stunts and things I’ve done. I obviously wondered whether I’d ever recover. I got quite depressed."
Anneka was partnered with Kevin
She added that she thought her condition might have been related to not warming up properly, joking: "Kevin and I just had a sausage roll and went for it."
MORE: Does Anneka Rice have a husband? Find out everything you need to know
MORE: Anneka Rice's sons become Strictly heartthrobs after surprise studio appearance!
Anneka isn't the only contestant who has spoken about elements of the show that they didn't enjoy, as Abbey Clancy admitted that she had major nerves during the live shows. She told The Mirror: "I loved practising in the rehearsal room, and then when I had to do the live show, I would have rather died. We did a tour in all the arenas and I hated it. I hated the crowd cheering me."
Anneka got whiplash from her time on the show
She added that her husband, Peter Crouch, tried to encourage her and told her to try to get energy from the crowds cheering, but that she couldn't do it. She said: "It just didn’t work."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
