I broke down in tears and my face erupted in sores behind the scenes of Strictly Come Dancing, reveals Gregg Wallace
GREGG Wallace has revealed his face “erupted in sores” due to the “stressful” nature of his Strictly Come Dancing stint.
Popular MasterChef judge Gregg, 58, had a super-short Strictly Come Dancing stay – and was booted off in the first week back in 2014.
Recently we reported the biggest Strictly feuds spanning the series – with Gregg’s experience with Russian pro Aliona Vilani, 39, making the list.
At the time of his exit, he took a bitter jibe at the dancer and said: “I love dancing, but if I were paired with somebody who liked me then I would have done better.”
Gregg, who performed a Charleston in a chef’s outfit, has now opened up on the health issues he faced while training.
The BBC star opened up to The Mirror’s Men In Mind podcast and said: “I was having a really tough time I was really, really stressed… so badly that the side of my face broke out into a rash, like cold sores.”
The ordinarily-bubbly star even called on his therapist for some last minute help on the night he was due to dance.
He added: “I said, ‘Are you free? Can you come and help me?’
“She jumped in the car, came into my dressing room and had me in floods of tears. But I went out and danced.”
The star finished in 14th position, with the eventual winner the late TV presenter Caroline Flack.
He added how he continues to work with his therapist to address issues of “self doubt” and “low self esteem.”
Meanwhile, the spat must have spurred Russian pro Aliona on as the following year, she lifted the Glitter Ball with The Wanted star Jay McGuinness, before she quit the show completely.
In a telly switch earlier this year, Gregg was replaced on hit show Inside The Factory.
Broadcast magazine has reported that former Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness is in ‘pole position’ to take over the role.
Back in March, Masterchef judge Gregg said he had decided to step back from presenting the BBC series to focus on his autistic son, Sid.
But then in May, it was reported that the real reason Gregg stood down from his role was because he had ‘offended female staff’ with ‘inappropriate banter’ at one of the factories.
Back on MasterChef, he refused to tuck into one contestant’s dish because it was “raw.”