Strictly’s Will Bayley reveals he was hospitalised for 18 months as a child as he battled blood cancer
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s Will Bayley revealed he battled blood cancer for 18 months as a child.
The Paralympian – who won a gold medal in table tennis the 2016 games – was born with the genetic condition arthrogryposis, which causes curvatures in both the hands and feet.
However, he dealt with more after being diagnosed with an unrelated blood cancer at the age of seven.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It was really bad at the time, I was in hospital for about a year and a half.
“We stopped the operations on my legs because we decided to just focus on the cancer. I didn’t have any more after that, which is probably why my feet aren’t as good as they could be.”
He was given a trial drug at Great Ormond Street hospital to combat the disease and at one stage he turned to his mum to say he had enough.
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But after his mum said that he could die if he didn’t continue treatment, he went ahead and fortunately got better.
Last weekend he and dance partner Janette Manrara scored 23 points for their Pokemon-themed Paso Doble.
This placed him eighth on the leaderboard, above Mike Bushell, David James and Anneka Rice, who ended up leaving the competition.
Speaking of how his condition affects his dance on Strictly, he told Closer: “I had special shoes made, which gave me extra balance, and they’ve made a big difference.”
He added about dance partner Janette: “I thought she might be soft on me because of my difficulties, but she tells me straight, which is the best way.
“She’s adapted it really well for me.”
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