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She has been delighting viewers week in week out on the Strictly Come Dancing floor and will be taking on the quarter finals this weekend.
But behind the glitz and glamour Montell Douglas has been battling a hidden health condition which regularly leaves her in ‘agonising pain’.
The Team GB athlete and Gladiators star, 38, suffers from dysmenorrhoea – extremely heavy and painful periods which have previously left her hospitalised.
She suffered with a bad flare up ahead of the first live show earlier this year.
Montell admitted that being hospitalised for the condition a few years ago was a ‘wake-up call’ as she almost ‘passed out’ due to the ‘intense’ cramp pain.
‘That hospitalisation for me was a kind of wake-up call.
Inside Montell Douglas’ debilitating health condition which has left her hospitalised with ‘agonising pain’ – as she gets ready for the Strictly quarter finals
The Team GB athlete and Gladiators star, 38, suffers from dysmenorrhoea – extremely heavy and painful periods which have previously left her hospitalised (seen with partner Johannes Radebe)
‘My body just started convulsing, and I was almost passing out, because the pain was so intense’, she told The Irish News.
‘I was overheating because of the hormones – my body couldn’t control its temperature, and that in turn made me dehydrated.
‘The pain was in waves, coming in like contractions.’
Montell was prescribed strong painkillers to help manage the symptoms.
They need to be taken before the excruciating period pains kick in, which can be difficult to predict.
She continued: ‘I’m going to be really honest about it as I think it’s something we really need to talk about more the agonising pain… not many people and not all women will experience the same thing.
‘It’s so disruptive and it’s very emotionally draining, not to mention physically draining.’
After she had contraceptive implants put in, and said they’ve made a big difference to the severity of her period pain.
The star opened up ahead of taking to the dance floor with her partner Johannes Radebe for the first time.
Montell admitted that being hospitalised for the condition a few years ago was a ‘wake-up call’ as she almost ‘passed out’ due to the ‘intense’ cramp pain
‘My body just started convulsing, and I was almost passing out, because the pain was so intense’, she told The Irish News
Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for painful menstrual cramps, usually felt in the lower abdomen.
It can range from dull aches to intense pain that’s hard to relieve.
Montell has only just made it to the quarter finals after ending up in the dance off last weekend with Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas – with her and Johannes being saved by the judges.
Jamie and Michelle performed their Foxtrot but the judges decided that Montell and Johannes’s Quickstep was better.
All four judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas chose to save the Gladiators star, after she found herself in the bottom for a third time.
After she had contraceptive implants put in, and said they’ve made a big difference to the severity of her period pain
Earlier this month Montell, Miranda actress Sarah Hadland and singer Shayne Ward have all now been confirmed for the Strictly tour in 2025.
The celebrity contestants who appeared on this year’s 20th anniversary series of the show will be donning their dancing shoes once again as they take the show around the country from January 17 to February 9.
Meanwhile It Takes Two’s Janette Manrara is also returning to host the tour once again.
The Strictly quarter finals on Saturday night will star Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Montell,, Pete Wicks, Sarah Hadland and Tasha Ghouri.
