JJ Chalmers says he’s headed for the operating theatre as soon as his time on the dancefloor comes to an end.
The former Royal Marine is currently taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, but says he’ll be having surgery to remove shrapnel from his leg as soon as his time in the BBC contest is over.
He’s said he’ll go under the knife after his leg became inflamed by the warzone shrapnel stuck inside during his training and he was forced to dance through the pain.
The 33-year-old says he’s in constant agony during his training with professional partner Amy Dowden.
He told The Sun : “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.
(Image: PA)
“But the problem is, this one has been exacerbated.
“It can be the physical exertion or it could be the exhaustion. 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.”
JJ, who said the shrapnel hurts when Amy presses up against it, has been meeting with his surgeon via FaceTime and taking antibiotics to deal with the infection.
But JJ is adamant that his injury won’t stop him carrying on in Strictly.
(Image: JJ Chalmers)
Last weekend, JJ and Amy wowed viewers with their stunning Viennese waltz to Lauren Daigle’s Rescue, but he was dancing through the pain.
He was injured in a bomb blast while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.
Speaking previously about his injury to the Mirror, he said: “Whilst there’s a level of pain and sensitivity with it, it’s not anything I’m not used to.
(Image: PA)
“These are just the genuine side effects of being alive, that’s the simplest way I can put it, enduring some level of pain.
“Until it gets to you know, an unbearable point or a really discomforting point, I’m not going to allow it to stop me doing what I love doing.
“And right now that’s dancing. But on the flip side, it might seem quite alarming to people that I’ve done most of this competition with an infection in my leg but that’s just the reality of what happens with this particular piece of shrapnel until they remove it.”
* Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One
Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/strictlys-jj-chalmers-headed-surgery-23107492