Dianne Buswell is on top of the world. She's just won a Bafta, she's starting a new tour and she's the reigning Strictly champion. However, Dianne has plans for a new phase in her life too...
“Ever since I was a little girl, I used to want a little sister or brother,” says Dianne. “I was always the babysitter for all my little cousins – I’ve always been a real lover of children. They fascinate me so much.”
About to head out on tour with Strictly colleague Vito Coppola, followed by a new series of Strictly, Dianne isn’t planning to start a family any time soon, but she’s been working on a project she hopes her future kids would enjoy – a series of Bluey Dancealongs. The films will be on the official Bluey YouTube channel and teach children dance routines set to Bluey musical hits.
“I always think that in the future, if I was to have my own kids, that they would be able to potentially watch this,” says Dianne. “It plays at the back of my mind and that’s pretty cool.”
The dancealongs were filmed at Bluey’s World in Brisbane and afterwards Dianne flew to see her family in Western Australia, where she is from. She’s also been on a minibreak to Bruges and a safari trip to South Africa this year with Joe, 33, who she met when she partnered him on Strictly in 2018.
But the hard work is about to start with the Dianne & Vito – Red Hot And Ready tour kicking off in June and then Strictly rehearsals beginning as early as August. “We had a couple of days in Bruges, which was lovely,” says Dianne. “And Joe and I got to do a trip to South Africa as well, which was incredible – and I got to go home to Australia. I feel like there’s a big chunk of work coming up but I definitely have prioritised downtime.”
Most celebrities who sign up for Strictly are shocked by the physical toll the dancing takes on them. And even though she’s a pro dancer, Dianne says she shares their pain.
“I love moving my body,” she says. “I do it a lot for mental health and it just makes me so happy, but when I go back to dance, it’s a different lot of muscles you’re using and you do feel it. When celebrities say, ‘Wow, this is intense on my body!’ I’m like, ‘I understand!’ If I’ve had a month or two off, my body goes into shock mode.”
Last winter, Dianne and her Strictly celebrity partner Chris McCausland made an impact on viewers as Dianne taught comedian Chris, who is blind, to dance. At the heart of their routines lay their friendship and shared sense of humour.
Viewers rewarded their efforts with the Glitterball Trophy, then they relived their triumph when Dianne collected a Bafta for most memorable TV moment earlier this month. In her acceptance speech, she recalled Chris performing the dance that won them the Bafta, saying, “He closed his eyes and he smiled a smile I’ve never seen from him before and that meant it came straight from his heart. This moment meant so much to the both of us, so I’m so thrilled that we have this.”
Her speech summed up the special relationship between the pair, which has continued thanks to the success of their podcast Winning Isn’t Everything. “He’s so funny,” says Dianne. “It’s definitely a friendship that will last forever, for sure.”
Dancing with Chris also taught Dianne an important life lesson. “Before, I was always looking for perfection,” she says. “But with Chris, if something wasn’t perfect, I almost loved it even more. For people to resonate with it on an emotional level is even more powerful. He taught me that.”
Dianne joined Strictly in 2017 and since then she’s found love, become a champion and is a fan favourite. She admits it’s been a whirlwind that’s changed her life. “I wonder if I didn’t join the show, what I’d be doing now,” she says. “It’s mad but it’s a ride I’ve enjoyed.”
For Dianne, every Strictly series is different thanks to her changing celebrity partners – and each time she makes it her mission to understand them. I do my research so that I know more about them,” she says. “But you always find out the most about them when you work with them in the room.”
For her, it’s about building a connection and transporting it to the dancefloor. She strives to instil a love of dance in her partners. “You don’t want to feel like you’re making them dance,” she explains. “You want them to want to dance. If they’re wanting to do it, then you’ll be absolutely fine. But you’ve got to know their limits and choreograph to their strengths.”
