Strictly Come Dancing star Dianne Buswell has posed in a stylish zebra-print swimsuit, her trademark red hair flowing loose over her shoulders, for an exclusive interview and photoshoot with HELLO!.
The flame-haired dancer and former hairdresser, 33, has been famous for her signature vibrant locks since joining the show in 2017 – but tells the magazine she has vowed to undergo a transformation if she wins the coveted glitterball.
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"If I win Strictly, I’ll change the colour completely," she says. "I dyed my hair burgundy eight years ago and it’s got even brighter. I love the energy colour brings and how it makes me feel.
"I used to have black hair and wore a lot of black because I was too shy to put on anything else," she adds. "Deep down, I loved colour but was afraid to wear it. But when I found my inner confidence I really went for it."
Dianne is planning a hair transformation if she lifts the glitterball trophy
As preparations get underway for the new series of Strictly, she can hardly contain her excitement, but insists none of the professional dancers have any idea which of the 15 contestants – who include singer Fleur East, Bros star Matt Goss, TV presenter Helen Skelton, and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds - they will be partnered with.
"I love this time of year," she says. "The line-up is amazing. But all the dancers are playing a guessing game of who we think we’ll get. We genuinely don’t know until we’re paired up on the show."
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Her previous Strictly dance partners include the Reverend Richard Coles and The Wanted singer Max George, but it was with 30-year-old social media influencer Joe Sugg that she found love.
The couple, who were runners up in the 2018 Strictly final, bought a house together last year and, she reveals, have become passionate about gardening.
"It’s our pride and joy; I’m obsessed with it," she says. "I never thought I’d get so much pleasure from growing my own veg for summer salads. Now I’m thinking about what to plant for winter soups."
The dancer was recently a bridesmaid at the wedding of her close friend and fellow Strictly pro, Amy Dowden, but she and Joe have no plans to tie the knot yet.
WATCH: Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg enjoy romantic holiday
"I don’t think too much about the future," says Dianne. "I just go with the flow."
She and Joe still enjoy tripping the light fantastic in what she calls their ‘five-minute kitchen discos’, though.
"He remembers all the steps," she says. "If he’d learnt to dance when he was little he’d be a beautiful ballroom dancer.
"Dancing is such a joyful activity," she adds. "It gives off an endorphin that makes people happy."
Bringing happiness into the lives of her legion of fans is her latest mission and is what inspired her to make her book debut with her guide to physical and mental well-being, Move Yourself Happy: 21 Days to Make Joyful Movement a Habit.
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She also reveals how she faced problems with her own state of mind before joining Strictly.
"I thought I had to keep working out to burn a certain amount of calories and to look a certain way," she says.
"It was so unenjoyable and was really affecting my mental health. But the minute I turned that around, it was a relief. I concentrate on the pleasure of movement now. To share that with others who struggle like I did, is special to me. Thanks to Strictly, I have a platform to help."
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Move Yourself Happy: 21 Days to Make Joyful Movement a Habit, published by Watkins Media on 14 March 2023, is available for pre-order now for £14.95.
