Wallace: 'Strictly made me physically sick'

Jessie Wallace has admitted that competing on Strictly Come Dancing made her feel "physically sick".

The EastEnders star was the fourth celebrity eliminated from the 2008 series of the dancing competition. Speaking to TV Times, Wallace confessed that she had not enjoyed the experience.

"I'm not a dancer," she said. "I did it for the fun side of things, but it was just so serious. And it was such a rollercoaster - learning the dances in only five days, going out in front of 10 million viewers and standing in front of the judges who can be so nasty and cutting and personal.

"Then you have to wait fo the results. It made me physically sick. I couldn't stand it."

The 39-year-old also described how she had been affected by her personal appearance on the show.

Claiming that she looked like "a butch Barbara Cartland", she explained: "When I did Strictly, people kept saying, 'Oh you're going to lose weight', but I put it on! I was training all day, so I'd get home at night and think, 'I can eat what I want', so I'd have pie and chips.

"You always look bigger on TV and Darren Bennett, my dance partner, was tiny. He looked like he was dancing with a big bear.

She added: "I just thought 'Oh my god!'. I was really unhappy with the way I looked and got really down."

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