Will Bayley, 31, is taking part in this year’s BBC Strictly Come Dancing 2019 competition, and has been paired with professional dancer Janette Manrara. Judges, viewers and the star himself have been surprised by his success, with head judge Shirley Ballas complimenting him on his Quickstep saying: “What disability? What limitations? That was absolutely off the charts!”
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Michelle Visage health: Strictly star reveals her disease
Will recently opened up about his shoes being adapted for his disability – but what exactly is the star’s condition?
The sportsman was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a condition which causes a person’s joints not to move as much, and may sometimes lead them to being stuck in one position. In Will, the condition affects all four of his limbs.
Appearing on It Takes Two with Janette in September, the pair detailed how Will has found dance practice, and the star also took the opportunity to show off his adapted shoes.
When asked by Zoe Ball whether she tailored her training for Will’s disability, she said: “I always try to showcase their strengths and I think Will has so many strengths.”
Will added: “I thought someone would be softer on me in the training hall because they might be, ‘Oh Will’… but she’s the opposite! We were doing lifts today and I kept falling over and she was like, ‘It’s your core! Use your core!’
“I was like, ‘I think it might be my feet’ and she’s like, ‘No, it’s your core!'”
He then showed Zoe his shoes, saying: “They’re built up on the side because I always go over on the side of my foot […] so it keeps me straight.”
Unfortunately, this hasn’t been Will’s only health struggle.
At the age of seven, Will was diagnosed with an unrelated blood cancer.
Speaking to Mirror.co.uk he said: “I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma,” he says matter-of-factly. “It was really bad at the time, I was in hospital for about a year-and-a-half.
“We stopped the operations on my legs because we decided to just focus on the cancer. I didn’t have any more after that, which is probably why my feet aren’t as good as they could be.”
To combat the disease, Will was given a trial drug at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, and thankfully the drugs halted the potentially fatal condition.
How does arthrogryposis affect the joints?
Seattles Children’s Hospital explains: “Often the muscles around these joints are thin, weak, stiff or missing.
“Extra tissue may have formed around the joints, holding them in place.”
The hospital continues: “Most conrtractures happen in the arms and the legs. They can also happen in the jaw and the spine.
“Arthrogryposis does not occur on its own. It is a feature of many other conditions, most often amyoplasia.
“Children with arthrogryposis may have other health problems, such as problems with their nervous system, muscles, heart, kidneys or other organs, or differences in how their limbs, skull or face formed.”
What does arthrogryposis multiplex congenita mean?
Arthrogryposis is also called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. ‘Arthrogryposis’ means the joints are curved or crooked.
Multiplex’ means it affects more than one joint and ‘congenita’ means the condition is present at birth
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