09 December 2023 , 13:31
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Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Dianne Buswell has shared an emotional message from her sick father ahead of her semi-final performance with EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier.
The 34-year-old posted a video of her dad Mark as he wished her luck ahead of Saturday's live show, speaking from Australia, where Dianne was born. The message comes as Bobby is going through his own family heartache, amid reports his maternal grandmother Jackiey Budden, who is Jade Goody's mother, from the BBC studios has been banned from the BBC studio after her foul-mouthed response to Jeff Brazier.
It's been a dramatic week for Dianne and Bobby who are preparing to perform two dances in tonight's semi-final, of which they have been listed as the bookies favourite to be eliminated from.
Behind the scenes, Dianne has admitted that she has been struggling personally during this series of Strictly and has praised her dance partner Bobby as being her "rock" as she worries about her father's health. Sitting down in front of the camera, Mark wished Dianne luck, saying: "Hi Di and Bobby. Wishing you all the very best for tonight's concert and your semi-finals and I hope that you manage to get through to the final next week."
Strictly star Dianne Buswell with her dance partner Bobby Brazier (diannebuswell/Instagram)In October, the Australian Strictly star shared the news that her dad Mark was ill after fans noticed she appeared visibly down on an episode and she explained during an Instagram Q&A with Bobby that she had been "obviously affected" by the news before asking her followers to send her father a "little thought or prayer."
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
Dianne decided to address the worry from fans as she said: "I thought I would be very upfront and honest with you all. Last week I got some news about my dad’s health and I won’t go into detail, but obviously, that affected me. Being away from home and not being able to support and help your family in a time of need is quite a difficult thing so I did struggle a little bit last week in terms of that."
Earlier this month, Dianne shared her father had started chemotherapy and she shared a photo of him lying in a hospital bed, though a smile was on his face amid the treatment. The dancer captioned the photo: "I'm so proud of you dad. First round of chemotherapy today ! i wish i could be there to hold your hand and support you in person... but i do know that i’m making you so proud over here in my concert every week ! the Australian nurses and drs are now very aware of strictly come dancing as my dad won’t stop talking about it."
Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, during their appearance on Strictly Come Dancing (PA)The Brazier family feud between Jackiey and Jeff was reignited after Bobby won at the National Television Awards for his portrayal of Freddie Slater on BBC soap EastEnders. Jackiey was heard calling Jeff a "c***" when asked about how she felt about Jeff being seen weeping on camera when his boy picked up the prestigious award. Jackiey also said she had not been personally invited by the family as a guest and had to buy a ticket herself to see if Bobby would win.
Speaking outside her South London flat, Jackiey said: "'When I came out for the NTA Awards, I'm loud and it's the drink and someone went 'oh I bet you're really proud' and 'how do you get on with Jeff Brazier' and I said 'he's a c***'. Next minute I'm on the internet and all over the papers. As I came out of the O2, someone overheard me say it, so they sold the story."