Reality TV star Jamie Laing has shared the surprising reason behind a horror injury that left him unable to perform on Strictly Come Dancing.
Jamie rose to fame after joining the second series of Made in Chelsea in 2011, which follows the lives of posh urbanites as they fall in and out of relationships in west London.
Since becoming a regular on the show, the 32 year-old has become a TV personality, as well as hosting two podcasts.
But, before he eventually made the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, the star was forced to quit the popular BBC contest in 2019 after sustaining an injury while recording the launch show.
Now, interviewed on the Tony Bellew is Angry podcast, Jamie has revealed the real reason behind how he sustained such a terrible injury to his foot.
(Image: BBC)
“I wanted to be a bit taller, so I went on Amazon, and I found these things that were called ‘lifts’, don’t judge me…” he recalled.
“So I bought these things called lifts that are basically like high heels that you put in your shoes, they give you like two inches.
“So I put them in my shoes, and started wearing these things.
“And after a while I was like, ‘my calves, they really hurt, what the hell is wrong with my calves?”
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Nat)
So, Jamie recalled that he went to see a doctor who informed that he had ligament damage because of the odd angle his leg had been forced into from wearing the height-improving implants.
“It was like walking on glass, my right foot hurt so much,” he added.
The medical professional then explained that the Made in Chelsea star could allow the injury to heal naturally over a year, or have an injection that masked the injury.
And, desperate to persist with Strictly, Jamie opted to have an injection into his ankle, with horrific consequences.
“The pain went away, so it was training, training, training, and dancing, I didn’t realise it’s so intense, you’re jumping around all over the place,” he continued.
(Image: PA)
“It’s coming up to launch day, and I popped up in the air and the ligament snapped. It didn’t tear all the way through, if it tears all the way through you get something called floppy foot.”
Aside from the physical ordeal, Jamie acknowledged that the painful injury also led to him suffering from burn-out later on in the year, noting: “I had to wear a boot, I couldn’t train, and Strictly Come Dancing went away.”
However, the entertainer was invited back to perform on the competition the following year, making it to the final where he lost out to eventual champion Bill Bailey.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
