Dianne Buswell needed to hospital treatment due to the extreme lengths she went to to have a perfect figure.
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional was exercising "excessively" and cutting out meals nine years ago, causing her energy levels to slump so much she even struggled to climb the stairs.
She recalled: "Sometimes I did three shows a day and I’d go to the gym. I was exercising excessively and cut out many meals.
"It got to the point where I had no physical energy. Anxiety came with it because I didn’t feel well enough to perform and had to every night."
The Australian dancer’s periods stopped and her worried mother urged her to seek medical help.
Doctors told her she had anaemia – an iron deficiency – and needed immediate hospital treatment, and after she had a transfusion, she felt better than ever and vowed not to push herself so far again.
Dianne added to Happiful magazine: "I’ll never forget the moment I had the iron transfusion. The feeling was like no other.
"They pumped iron into me and after I went home, for the fun of it because I felt so good, I went for a run.
"I didn’t feel puffed, I didn’t feel ill, I just felt alive again. That was the best feeling.
"Since that point, it was a massive turning point for me. I realised I’d 100 per cent put my career on the line, and I never wanted to return to that state, ever."
These days, Dianne – who is dating Joe Sugg – is keen to portray a more realistic body image on her social media accounts.
She added: "It’s all about who I am, not the way I look."
Dianne is partnered by DJ Dev Griffin on this year’s ‘Strictly’.
Dianne Buswell’s anaemia struggle
