'Strictly brought all the joy of dance back into my life'

Actress and wellness guru Tamzin Outhwaite on waltzing into the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and how she's helping busy women cope with stress

- JEN PHARO

Tamzin Outhwaite is on a personal mission and it involves sequins, salsas and facing her fears. The 54-year-old actress has waltzed into the line-up for Strictly Come Dancing's 2024 Christmas Special alongside salsa superstar and pro dancer Nikita Kuzmin.

She's finding the whole experience "terrifying", her back is in agony and she's waking up "like a nana". But it's all part of her quest to challenge herself, build on things that make her happy and "fill up my own cup".

"I'm just trying to stay open, get out of my comfort zone and do a variety of different things to help me grow," says Tamzin. "I'm on a bit of a mission at the moment. I want to do more things that give you fear because even going through the fear is important. That's where your growth happens as a person."

Tamzin's change in pace began after the menopause hit while she was trying to juggle her busy life as an actress, a mum-of-two, and a doting daughter to her elderly father who lives "at the end of the garden".

Feeling overwhelmed, she threw herself into wellness, learning breath work, stepping up her yoga practice and building a sauna in her spare room.

Tamzin says, "Taking stock, taking a breath and retreating is something I've been learning to do so I can fill up my own cup then come back into my life and do everything that I do, which is keeping up a career, keeping up home, keeping up everything to do with my children and my dad, who lives with me at the end of the garden. It's making sure everyone is OK. I'm not a saint but juggling all the plates and a career on top of that can be quite stifling."

Earlier this year, Tamzin split up with her boyfriend of six years, Tom Child, 33. Before that her marriage to actor Tom Ellis, 46, hit the rocks in 2013 when she reportedly discovered that he had an affair with a co-star and the couple divorced the following year.