Graeme Hall, the dog trainer joining Strictly Come Dancing this year, feared a serious stroke in 2019 had brought an end to his dancing hobby. The canine behaviourist, known for appearing on This Morning and Channel 5's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, was taken to hospital as an emergency, where medics found a hole in his heart requiring surgical intervention.
Stroke halted dancing hobby
While recuperating, the TV personality worried his ballroom days were behind him, having grown passionate about the discipline and taken part in various smaller contests. Speaking to The Sun previously, he said: "I'd done a local competition called Strictly Northampton in 2012 and loved it so much that I carried it on as a hobby."
The presenter continued entering regional competitions staged in church halls and community centres, but had to withdraw following his stroke. He admitted: "I was out of action for quite a while, and I thought it had brought an end to my dancing."
Full recovery and return
Seven years later, Graeme has made a complete recovery and is gearing up for his dancing premiere on the BBC platform this autumn. He assured supporters: "I'm fine now, but I had to put my dance bag away - now I've got it out of the loft and there's all my kit and practice trousers, so I will be using those soon."
Graeme is not the first participant to face challenges linked to cardiac issues. In 2021, comedian Robert Webb had to pull out halfway through the 19th series after experiencing concerning symptoms while training.
Previous cardiac challenges
Speaking in a 2025 interview, Webb explained he took up the Strictly invitation because "these opportunities don't come along very often." He continued: "And I'd just nearly died, so I thought, 'This is no time to be sitting on the edges. Why don't you contribute and participate?'"
Despite being in "quite good shape" on paper, the performer found it difficult to match the programme's demanding rehearsal regime. Robert confessed: "That schedule is law unto itself, and I just wasn't anywhere close to being able to do that. I don't even know if I could now. I don't think it'd be a very good idea."
Show comeback
The show is due to make its comeback next month with its pre-filmed opening instalment, where the famous faces will discover their professional dance partners. When questioned about his potential pairing, Graeme laughed: "I don't care which pro dancer I get because the bottom line is they are all brilliant."
Strictly Come Dancing makes its comeback on Saturday, September 19 at 6:30pm.
