Gregg Wallace – who is on MasterChef tonight (Wednesday, May 8) – once opened up about the mental toll Strictly had on him.
The 59-year-old took part in the hit BBC show back in 2014. He was the first celebrity to be eliminated.
MasterChef star Gregg Wallace on Strictly
Back in 2014, Gregg took part in the 12th series of Strictly. The telly star was paired up with Russian dancer Aliona Vilani.
However, it proved to be a short stint on the show for Gregg.
He only performed twice, picking up just 18 points for his cha-cha-cha, and a further 18 points for Charleston.
Gregg became the first celebrity to be eliminated in that series – losing out in the dance-off against Mrs Brown’s Boys star Jennifer Gibney in week two.
And if being knocked out first wasn’t bad enough, Gregg also picked up a nasty health issue during his time on the show.
MasterChef star Gregg Wallace on painful Strictly stint
Last year, while speaking on The Mirror’s Men In Mind podcast, Gregg revealed that he was having a “tough time” on the show.
He confessed that his anxiety was so bad that bosses recommended he get professional help.
“I was having a really tough time [on Strictly] I was really, really stressed… so badly that the side of my face broke out into a rash, like cold sores,” he revealed.
“I was due to do the dance that night and I called [the therapist] up and said, ‘Are you free? Can you come and help me?’ She jumped in the car, came into my dressing room and had me in floods of tears. But I went out and danced,” he then continued.
Gregg then revealed that almost a decade later he’s still in contact with the therapist who helped him during his brief stint on the show.
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Gregg raises eyebrows
Back in February, Gregg seemed to irritate people by sharing a picture of himself and his wife, Anna-Marie.
In the picture, Gregg can be seen standing with one foot on an ottoman. Anna, meanwhile, is sitting next to him.
“Mmm not sure about the body language,” one fan commented. When Gregg pressed them to explain themselves, they wrote: “With all my respect again. Is just the body language. You try to show some superior some sort of next to your wife and your pet which I find unnecessary.”
Another follower described Gregg’s pose as being Alan Patridge-esque.
MasterChef airs tonight (Wednesday, May 8) at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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