Strictly quarter finalist JJ Chalmers will be rushed straight to hospital as soon as filming wraps to undergo surgery on his leg.
JJ rose to fame as a TV presenter and Invictus Games medallist. but prior to that served in Afghanistan as a Royal Marine reservist until May 2011 when he sustained serious injuries in an IED blast.
As well as losing two fingers and his elbow disintegrating, JJ suffered shrapnel to his face and other parts of his body, and during training old tissue damage has been flaring up.
“My body is covered in scars and it’s full of shrapnel and frag and stuff from Afghanistan, which can sit quite happily for many years without any real issues,” he said.
“But the problem is, this one has been exacerbated.It can be the physical exertion or it could be the exhaustion.
CHECK OUT the Strictly 2020 professionals
Strictly Come Dancing 2020 professionals stacked slider
1 of 16Aljaž Škorjanec
In 2019 Aljaž was partnered with Viscountess Emma Weymouth.
2 of 16Amy Dowden
In 2019 Amy made it all the way to the final with Karim Zeroual.
3 of 16Anton Du Beke
In 2019 Anton finally made it to the final with Emma Barton.
4 of 16Dianne Buswell
In 2019 Dianne was partnered with Dev Griffin.
5 of 16Giovanni Pernice
In 2019 Giovanni was partnered with Michelle Visage.
6 of 16Gorka Marquez
In 2019 Gorka took a step back from the show to spend more time with his baby girl Mia, therefore he wasn't partnered with any celebs.
7 of 16Graziano Di Prima
Although Graziano didn't have a celeb partner last year, in 2018 he was paired with Vick Hope.
8 of 16Janette Manrara
In 2019 Janette was partnered with Will Bayley.
9 of 16Johannes Radebe
In 2019 Johannes was partnered with Catherine Tyldesley.
10 of 16Karen Hauer
In 2019 Karen was partnered with comedian Chris Ramsey.
11 of 16Katya Jones
In 2019 Katya was partnered with Mike Bushell.
12 of 16Luba Mushtuk
In 2019 Luba was partnered with James Cracknell.
13 of 16Nadiya Bychkova
In 2019 Nadiya was partnered with James Cracknell.
14 of 16Nancy Xu
Chinese dancer Nancy Xu joined the cast in 2019 as a reserve dancer and choreographer.
15 of 16Neil Jones
In 2019 Neil was partnered with footballer Alex Scott.
16 of 16Oti Mabuse
In 2019 Oti was crowned the winner of the show with Kelvin Fletcher.
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“Unfortunately, what it does is it looks for the quickest way up to the surface of your skin, which is where the scar is. So it’s about a six-inch scar that’s pretty inflamed. It’s a very tender, stinging pain.
“When Amy presses up against it, it’s not a very nice thing to poke at.”
Speaking of his surgeon’s plans to operate, who he’s been keeping in touch with via FaceTime, JJ told The Sun, “As far as my surgeon’s concerned, this thing needs to get taken out of my leg.
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“If we’d had the time, it would’ve been done by now, especially when it first flared up. But this is the situation. Life gets in the way, and that’s a great thing.
“Since 2014, I’ve not gone a year without a surgery, so it’s a pretty routine thing for me, unfortunately. But, as I say, I’m not going to let it slow me down.”
JJ is smashing this year’s Strictly with his professional partner Amy Dowden. He’ll compete this weekend in the quarter final against Jamie Laing, Ranvir Singh, Maisie Smith, HRVY and Bill Bailey.