Montell Douglas praises Strictly for helping her to embrace her body

Montell Douglas says 'Strictly Come Dancing' has helped her to embrace her body.

The 38-year-old former 'Gladiators' star admitted that she has spent years being embarrassed over her height but taking part in 'Strictly' with professional partner Johannes Radebe has helped her to see that "strong is sexy".

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, she said: "'Strictly' gives me the chance to wear these beautiful gowns and dresses and find the elegance, while believing and embracing that strong is still sexy. That is what I have to remind myself so often. And being with Johannes, honestly, he is a reminder every day that strong is sexy.

"When you’re a little girl and you want to fit in and you do nothing but stand out, you slump your shoulders. I’ve always had bad posture because you’re just big and you can’t hide. I didn’t really like the limelight. I didn’t like people to see me all the time.

"And I really struggled with my body shape, how I was moving my limbs, they were really long and gangly. The confidence just wasn’t there."

However, sport helped to empower the former Olympian.

She said: "I think going through sport has empowered me because my physicality, my body, has never been because of how I want it to look. It’s always been for performance.

"I’ve never looked and gone, ‘I want this crazy back that I’ve got right now, all this muscle. I want my shoulders to be this way’. I’ve never felt like that. I’ve done it because that’s what made me run fast and that was the priority."