All of the stars taking part in this year’s series of
Strictly Come Dancing have now been announced, which means it’s time to take a closer look at some of the celebrity contestants.
The new Strictly line-up has names from all walks of life and backgrounds, but one of the most intriguing and inspiring back stories is that of JJ Chalmers.
John James “JJ’” Chalmers is a 33-year-old TV presenter and
Invictus Games competitor, who grew up in Renton,
Scotland.He was previously part of the Royal Marines and later went on to have a sporting career, before
BREAKING into broadcasting (seriously, is there anything this man can’t do?).
Ahead of his dancefloor debut, now’s your chance to get to know JJ a little better... Long before he was on our screens, JJ was a member of the Royal Marines View this post on InstagramA post shared by JJ Chalmers (@jj.chalmers) on May 20, 2020 at 2:37am PDTJJ was deployed to
Afghanistan while serving as a Royal Marine Commando. However his
MILITARY career was cut short after he sustained life-changing injuries following an IED
explosion in 2011.
His whole body was affected in the blast leading him to undergo at least 30 surgeries. JJ lost two of his fingers, sustained holes in his legs, suffered scars on his face and chest and at one point even had one arm temporarily grafted to his body.JJ says it’s his wife who pulled him through the dark timesHe often credits his wife, Kornelia Chitsurko, for supporting him through his rehabilitation process.
Speaking to Joe.co.uk as part of their Boy’s Don’t Cry feature, he said: “It was my girlfriend, when I woke up in a hospital bed, who dragged me through all this nonsense. I wouldn’t be here without her.”
Kornelia and JJ married in 2015, and have a daughter together called Hayley. Oh, and no big deal, but he’s apparently besties with Prince HarryJJ is a close friend of
Prince Harry and was even among the guests at his 2018
Royal wedding to
Meghan Markle.
Talking about his pals wedding to The Mirror, JJ said: “I’m just happy my friend is settling down with somebody. So many of our other
Friends are all settled down and have kids, so he needs to catch up.”
It was actually Prince Harry who persuaded him to take part in the Invictus Games in the first place, where he later won three medals. What’s that about the Invictus Games?After rehabilitating, JJ went on to compete in a cycling event in the 2014 Invictus Games in the Netherlands, bringing home three medals.
Following his involvement in the Invictus Games, JJ began a successful television career, bagging some impressive presenting gigs. View this post on InstagramA post shared by JJ Chalmers (@jj.chalmers) on Nov 10, 2019 at 11:00am PSTFrom covering the Rio Paralympics to anchoring the Invictus Games since 2017, and presenting highlights for
BBC Sports during The Commonwealth Games and The
London Marathon, JJ has shown he can handle just about anything. He now faces his next life challenge by taking on the Strictly dancefloorJJ’s entry into the Strictly line up was announced on Lorraine where he talked about his love of the glitz and glamour of the show, admitting he was planning to fully “immerse myself in this process” and was ready to “go the whole hog with costumes and glitter”. View this post on InstagramA post shared by JJ Chalmers (@jj.chalmers) on Sep 3, 2020 at 2:34am PDT“My whole life is defined by facing challenges,” he later said. “Whether it’s becoming a Royal Marine Commando, recovering from my injuries sustained in Afghanistan to competing in The Invictus Games.”
We look forward to seeing him swap his boots for dance shoes and overcoming any dance challenge that comes his way!
Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens later in the autumn.MORE STRICTLY: From The
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