Louis: "I’m Stiff Like An Old Man"

Even super-fit Olympians find Strictly training tough. Louis Smith is no stranger to training, but even he finds the rehearsals physically challenging.

Louis told the Daily Telegraph: “I’ll have a break for five minutes, then when I get up to start dancing again I’m stiff like an old man. My back hurts. My bum. Heels. Calves. Hips. Quads. Hamstrings. And my brain. It’s exhausting, there is so much to take in.”


And with Flavia as a partner, his nose is always to the grindstone: “Flavia is relentless. Preparing for Strictly is as hard as training for the Olympics. I’m not putting my life at risk doing somersaults and stuff, but I would be used to that. This is using muscles I have not used before.”