Strictly Come Dancing professional Dianne Buswell has hit out at a troll who criticised her for dancing while pregnant on the BBC show. The 36-year-old, who announced she is expecting a baby boy with her boyfriend Joe Sugg, will make history as the first dancer to perform on the programme while pregnant.
The troll wrote on social media: "I don't want to see her dance being pregnant, it's already feeling uncomfortable and she's only starting to show. It's really not appropriate." Sharing the comment on her Instagram Stories, Dianne wrote: "I can't believe in 2025 things like this are still being said."
The criticism also sparked anger among fans, with one writing: "Her dancing pregnant in Strictly this year is nothing short of beautiful and magical. Women's bodies are INCREDIBLE and I don't actually think people realise that. This will show all of those people who believe this weird twisted notion that women should hide away when they're carrying a baby that women are capable of much more & can do anything." Dianne reposted the comment with a series of emotional emojis.
Dianne, who is paired with Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis this year, announced her pregnancy earlier this month with a stick-figure illustration depicting her, Joe and a baby, captioned: "Our little baby boy. We cannot wait to meet you." She also discussed baby names on her podcast with Chris McCausland, her victorious 2024 Strictly partner, revealing that a girl would have been called Americus, but noting: "I had planned to get him out the room when I do the certificate or whatever you do and just put it on there." She joked about calling the baby Christopher Anton Craig Buswell-Sugg.
Speaking about dancing while pregnant, Dianne said her doctor told her to "crack on" and continue what she was doing, adding: "Obviously with lifts there's just going to be a bit more caution, but my doctor has said that everything is normal." Earlier, she had spoken about balancing family plans with her demanding career, saying: "I would like to have children, 100 per cent. Joe and I love kids and that's definitely something that we would absolutely love."
