Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb has been revealed as the latest celebrity to join the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.
Lamb was a guest on tonight's (December 1) episode of The One Show hosted by Alex Jones and Ronan Keating. Asked about his previous hesitancies, the former EastEnders actor explained he had said no to the dancing show five years ago due to medical reasons.
In 2018, it was discovered Lamb had a problem with one of his spinal discs.
"It was about to sever my spinal cord," he shared.
Related: Strictly's Fleur East accidentally headbutts pro partner
He reassured fans that the issue has been sorted out ("The operation was a huge success," he said), though he explained that he spent the following years recovering from nerve damage.
During his physical therapy, he would joke about being able to be on Strictly at some point down the line. Nearly five years later, he was invited and felt ready to finally take to the dancefloor.
"If they think I can do this, I'm going to have a go at doing it," he said.
Related: Strictly champion Ore Oduba is returning to the Rocky Horror Show
Lamb is going to be paired with ballroom pro Nadiya Bychkova, to whom he owes his newfound confidence in his moves.
"She is the most extraordinary teacher, the most supportive person," he said of his professional partner.
The actor admitted he is enjoying training "much more" than he thought he would.
"I'm really surprised that I'm into it."
For one week only, Strictly Come Dancing airs on Friday (December 2) at 8pm on BBC One, with a results show on Saturday (December 3) at 5.40pm. Spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows also stream on BBC iPlayer.
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