Rachel Riley suffers PTSD as she likens Strictly experience to ‘hostage situation’
Rachel Riley has shared how her time on Strictly Come Dancing had a profound impact on her, with the star confessing it left her feeling like she was in a “hostage situation”, and dealing with symptoms akin to “PTSD”.
The Countdown favourite first graced the Strictly dance floor back in 2013, where she was partnered with future husband Pasha Kovalev. Despite making it to week six, Rachel revealed that she battled with severe stage fright for most of her time on the show.
The 38-year-old, she previously admitted to experiencing an “out-of-body experience” as soon as the music started. Faced with having to tackle her anxiety issues, she enlisted the help of a psychotherapist prior to her departure from the series during the final week.
Speaking candidly on the High Performance Woman podcast, Rachel discloses how she was a complete novice before joining Strictly, having “never danced a step” in her life. Yet, she found herself deeply affected by the string of negative comments from the judges’ panel.
She said: “I’d never danced a step before in my life and it was absolutely terrifying. You go in there on a Sunday to learn a new dance and on the Saturday you’re dancing in front of 10 million people.”
“Then you get the judges comments and it would be like the end of the world. I think I was in the dance off, which is like dance for you life to be voted off or stay on.”
“And the next week I was on the floor doing the dance and Pasha, my partner, said ‘you’re not there’ and said that I go and see Michael [the psychotherapist].”
Revealing one of the most valuable lessons she took away from her therapy sessions, Rachel credits Michael for teaching her about perfectionism and showing her how to reshape her thought processes. This enlightenment ultimately led her to set a personal goal of scoring an eight on the show – a target she managed to hit not once, but twice in the following week.
Rachel Riley has opened up about her experience on Strictly Come Dancing, revealing that she felt a sense of loss after leaving the show. She said: “I got PTSD following Strictly. A lot of people who have done it can relate”.
“It’s like a trauma bonding, hostage situation, not with your partner but with the show. You love doing it and it’s so much fun, you get all of the endorphins from the training and achieving something just being in the moment.”
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