Faye Tozer, 43, waltzed her way to the Strictly Come Dancing final with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 28, last year. However, behind-the-scenes, the Steps star was facing family struggles, as her mum Dorothy had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. Dorothy discovered she was suffering from the disease in April 2018 and underwent a mastectomy and began a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Speaking about the traumatic time with Hello! magazine, Faye said: “While I was putting on sequins, mum was putting on a cold cap. That kept everything in perspective.
“If I was having a bad day, I knew that mum was going through so much more.”
When quizzed on why she hadn’t spoken about her mum’s illness until now, Faye divulged: “It was mum’s journey, not mine.
“I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me or ask how I was because it wasn’t about me.
“I wanted to get on with the job, and mum wanted that as well. She was so incredibly positive.”
Fortunately, Faye explained her mum has completed the majority of her treatment and is “out the other side”.
Reflecting on her time on Strictly, the pop star gushed about how “supportive” her mum was throughout her experience on the BBC show.
She added: “I would send her photos of the costumes.
“And every week I sent mum a video of me and Giovanni rehearsing, so she could watch the progress we’d made on the Saturday night. I’d always phone and say: ‘Mum, how are we doing?’
“She was still so supportive even though she was going through so much. I think we all just kept going, and it wasn’t until afterwards that it really sunk in.”
Elsewhere, Faye Tozer revealed the pressure she felt during her stint on the dance competition, which saw her narrowly missing out on the Glitterball trophy to Stacey Dooley, 32, and Kevin Clifton, 36.
She exclusively told Express.co.uk: “It was the hardest but the most incredible and satisfying thing that I’ve ever done,
“Because it’s one of the biggest shows on TV, putting yourself in front of those people and wanting to do your best and having the pressure of having people vote for you…
“Yes, it’s great to get your points from the judges but, at the end of the day, it’s down to the audience whether you stay or not.”
Faye added all the rehearsals come down to “that moment, that performance once a week, with everything else that goes on in Strictly”.
The performer explained: “It kind of felt like Steps the first time round where you have to do everything you can to stay at the top.
“You have to kind of let go of everything else in the world and get your head down and focus and crack on, hope for the best and hope that people want to see you again.”
Faye Tozer’s full interview is available in Hello!, out today.
If you’ve been affected by any of the topics raised in this article call Breast Cancer Care on 0808 800 6000 or visit the website.
