15:20 06 October 2014
After becoming the first celeb to voted off Strictly Come Dancing this year, Masterchef star Gregg Wallace has admitted that the show left him in such a shattered mental state that he needed professional help.
Wallace admitted: 'I only managed that Charleston [on Saturday night] thanks to an hour’s session with a therapist beforehand. We talked about me having left home at 15 and what that boy would think of me now and to dance for him. The session left me in floods of tears but I came out feeling amazing and for the first time I managed to perform feeling happy. So I’m very proud of that.'
The presenter and his partner Aliona Vilani faced the first 'dance-off' on the show against Mrs Brown's Boys star Jennifer Gibney and professional partner Tristan MacManus. Wallace opted for a chef's outfit to dance along to Ray Charles' take on Hey Good Lookin but the judges ultimately thought his performance didn't look too good at all.
The star presenter penned a column in The Telegraph in which he also admitted: 'I’m disappointed to be the first person voted off Strictly, but the bigger feeling is one of relief that that pressure is off.
'I found it far more difficult than I ever imagined. I’ve never felt so scared and uncomfortable, to the point where I was crying and having severe anxiety attacks, with pain in my chest and shortness of breath.
'I'm so relieved I can just relax, cheer the others on and stick to cooking.'