Craig Revel Horwood has revealed he had surgery to “flatten his toes” after dancing in heels gave him “unsightly bunions”.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 59, is preparing to play the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz and announced she had undergone the procedure so she could “step into the character’s stilettos” next month.
During an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show on Friday, she told host Patrick Kielty about her “dance injury” and showed off her orthopedic shoes.
Pairing her ‘ugly boots’ with a sequin jacket and a pair of flared pants, she propped her feet up on Patrick’s desk.
Craig explained: ‘It’s a dance injury. My little toes were crushed and I had a procedure to flatten them. It’s for dancing, since those ugly bunions caused me terrible injuries, dear.
Craig Revel Horwood, 59, has revealed he had surgery to “flatten his toes” after dancing in heels gave him “unsightly bunions”.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge is preparing to play the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz and announced she had undergone the procedure so she could “step into the character’s stilettos” in May.
He continued: ‘Now I have to wear these cool shoes. I mean, they’re pretty awful, aren’t they? They are not a fashion statement, although some people believe they are.
‘I’ve now paired them with flared trousers but I still can’t walk in them properly. That’s why I got this done five weeks ago so I could slip my beautiful new toes into a pretty pair of stilettos to play the Wicked Witch.’
‘The specialist couldn’t understand how he had been walking. But I am a professional dancer and we are used to suffering continuous pain.
‘Basically, I had both hip joints worn out from dancing and ballet, and this was made worse by the fact that I have arthritis. My mother suffers from rheumatoid arthritis but I have osteoarthritis.’
Craig recently insisted the Strictly curse is a “blessing” because it rescues contestants from their “loveless marriages”.
The curse of Strictly has become as well-known as the dance itself, with several celebrities having an affair with their professional partner.
And although competing on the show has caused marriage breakups such as Ben Cohen and Louise Redknapp, Craig, 59, believes Strictly is not the cause.
He says marriages must have “been in shambles in the first place” and there is a lot to “gain” by signing up for the BBC program if your relationship is on the rocks.
During an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show on Friday, she told host Patrick Kielty about her ‘dance injury’ and showed off her orthopedic shoes.
Pairing her ‘ugly boots’ with a sequin jacket and a pair of flared pants, she propped her feet up on Patrick’s desk.
Strict winners Ellie Leach, 22, and Vito Coppola, 31, were rumored to be dating during the last series, with Craig telling the pair to “have a bit of fun” and “do it”.
Craig said, “Vito’s an attractive property, isn’t it?” Many people wouldn’t care. Well, I say, go ahead. Go ahead. Why not? If you’re single, why don’t you have some fun, honey?
‘And look, it could end in marriage, it could end in children, we have a lot of babies strictly…
And I think that curse they talk about is a blessing. It takes people out of loveless marriages and into something fabulous.
‘The point of the strict curse is that the marriage or whoever you’re with must have been in ruins in the first place for anything to happen. Nothing to lose… everything to gain.’
Strictly has seen the likes of 2018 winner Stacey Dooley fall in love with her partner Kevin Clifton and the pair now share a daughter called Minnie.
Former contestant Rachel Riley competed with her now-husband Pasha Kovalev during the 2013 series and they have two children.
In 2015, Ben Cohen was accused by his ex-wife of cheating on him with Kristina Rihanoff, with whom he is now in a relationship and the couple are parents to their daughter Mila.
Craig recently insisted the Strictly curse is a “blessing” because it rescues contestants from their “loveless marriages” (pictured December 2023).
Strict winners Ellie Leach, 22, and Vito Coppola, 31, were rumored to be dating during the last series, with Craig telling the pair to “have a bit of fun” and “do it”.
Ellie had spoken about how competing on the show helped her improve her self-confidence after her ex-boyfriend cheated on her.
The rugby player’s former partner of 23 years, who is also the mother of his twin daughters, said in an interview: “He has done something dirty to me.”
Louise Redknapp’s marriage to husband Jamie also ended shortly after her stint on the BBC show, and the singer said acting in the series helped her “re-evaluate my life.”
The Strictly cast, including Bobby Brazier and Annabel Croft, are currently touring the country with the dance show and Craig says being on tour only brings them closer.
He has revealed that everyone shares dressing rooms and that no matter who you are, from head judge Shirley Ballas to the catering staff, everyone is involved.
