DJ and presenter Tyler West has revealed the lasting trauma of witnessing a fatal stabbing as a teenager. The 29-year-old, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, spoke about the incident while taking part in the BBC One show Celebrity Race Across The World.
West, from South London, opened up to his girlfriend and fellow contestant Molly Rainford about his need for control, linking it to the horrific event. He said: 'I always like to be in control of things... When I compare it to when I was a teenager, it was on another level. I was absolutely petrified of witnessing something that was completely out of my control.'
In a confessional, West described coming home from school at age 14 and seeing three men arguing outside his house. 'One of the two men throw a really weak punch... and then one of the men had a 12-inch kitchen knife in his hand. All of a sudden, it was like me standing there at my bedroom window... just seeing this man get stabbed to death.'
He recalled testifying at the Old Bailey and being terrified. 'I just didn't really know how to process it, and it had such a knock on effect to my mental health. I was indoors for like two years. It matured me really quick.'
The show, which sees celebrities race 3,670 miles through Central America, recently saw the contestants travel to Costa Rica after filming permissions were refused in Nicaragua.
