Strictly Come Dancing star Tyler West has revealed that witnessing a murder outside his home when he was 14 left him "traumatised" and prompted a major change in his life. The 30-year-old presenter, reflecting on his youth before fame, described himself as a "shy" teenager who "struggled mentally" and often locked himself away.
Turning Point After Traumatic Ordeal
Asked what prompted him to come out of his shell, West told The Metro: "I witnessed a murder outside my house when I was 14 and that was traumatising. But suddenly there was this moment where I was like, 'I can't stay in this environment any more'."
He added: "I started playing handball, then from handball, CBBC interviewed the team during a training session and that was my first time saying anything on camera."
Recalling the Incident on Podcast
This is not the first time West has spoken about the ordeal. Appearing on Pete Wicks' Man Made podcast, he fought back tears as he described the moment: "I'm panicking over here because I saw the men coming back out and then they're trying to put the body in a bag."
He continued: "And it was, it was horrible. It just went on for like, I think in total, the phone call to the police was just over 10 minutes and still nobody had arrived by this point. And then the two men had gone back into the flat and we'd gone out there, me and my mum, and my mum's trying to put the towels on the wounds, I'm standing over this man's body. And I just, I was in hysterics. I was like, I was in shock."
West added: "I couldn't feel the tears running down my face. You know when something's hurting you that bad and you can't comprehend what's actually happening. That was one of, and I didn't know it at the time, but I never knew that that would be something that changed the course of my life forever."
Career and Recent Ventures
West has since built a successful career in television and radio, beginning his presenting career with CBBC. He is also a regular on Lorraine and currently presents Strictly: Lights Up alongside Abi Clarke. The show takes viewers straight to the Strictly dance floor for immediate reactions from the night's eliminated couple and their dance-off opponents, as well as the judges, hosts, other Strictly stars and studio guests.
In 2022, West competed on Strictly Come Dancing, where he was partnered with Dianne Buswell. Last year, he and his fiancée Mollie Rainford took part in Celebrity Race Across the World, travelling 5,900km across Central and South America from Isla Mujeres in Mexico to the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia. Despite their efforts, the series was ultimately won by Roman Kemp and his sister Harleymoon.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6.25pm on BBC One.
