Hannah Spearritt reveals secret health battle that may force her to pull out of Dancing on Ice
HANNAH Spearritt has opened up on a painful medical condition that left her fearing she may have to quit Dancing On Ice.
Hannah – who returns to Dancing On Ice this evening for Movie Week – was first diagnosed with an autoimmune condition back in 2013.
A painful tooth infection caused a huge flare-up, ultimately resulting in her missing days of training which threatened her position on the ice-skating series.
Speaking to The Mirror, Hannah explained that she was left breaking down in tears over the agony she suffered and came close to pulling out of the competition completely.
She said: “All I wanted to do was train, but I was just too ill. I was completely stressed because the show team were ringing me, asking if I would be able to train tomorrow and I wanted to say yes, but didn’t know how I’d feel.”
“It was out of my control, and I felt so guilty about letting everyone down – especially my skating partner Andy [Buchanan], who is lovely. I was worried I would have to pull out of the show, I was missing so much,” she added.
“I was determined to go back, but I was skating around white as a sheet and sweating. Anyone could see I wasn’t right,” Hannah said, explaining she burst into tears during training after becoming ‘overwhelmed’ with how sick she felt.
However, with root canal treatment and a lot of determination, Hannah was able to get back on her feet and is now feeling a lot better.
Now, with the competition officially underway, Hannah will be dancing as Elsa from Frozen in this week’s Movie week.
The singer said the song choice of Disney classic ‘Let It Go’ will be particularly exciting for her daughters, five-year-old Taya and three-year-old Tora, who both love the film, though Hannah admits Tora was the more ‘hardcore fan’ of the two.
Hannah said hoped the show would give her a good excuse to get exercising and healthy again, after a difficult personal and professional year.
The star opted to leave the S Club 7 reunion tour after the sudden death of bandmate and ex-boyfriend, Paul Cattermole, in April last year.
The group had only just announced the 25th anniversary tour when Cattermole passed away – and Hannah opted not to continue the reunion without him.
