AJ Odudu reveals the life lesson she's learned from her Strictly injury

AJ Odudu is admirably taking some positives from agonising ankle injury that forced her to pull out of the Strictly Come Dancing final during the latest series of the show last year.

The presenter, 34, - who was partnered with professional dancer Kai Widdrington, 26, on the BBC show - says that she has learned that she should listen to her body more.

Speaking about the experience, she admitted that she was particularly tough on herself at first, explaining: "I kind of feel guilty that I was so hard on myself initially."

AJ recalled being "angry" at her own body, but now questions such an approach, with her stating that it had coped with rehearsing for at least 10 hours a day for 13 weeks.

AJ Odudu had competed on Strictly with professional dancer Kai Widdrington (BBC)

She commented in an interview with Women's Health recently: "Yes, I have this body that let me down, but, actually, it carried me to the final; it did what it needed to do."

AJ added: "If there's one thing that I've learned over the past few months, it's that you really should listen to your body." She said that it's something she has "struggled" with.

This included on SAS: Who Dares Wins where she collapsed after climbing a mountain but then carried on. And then she later danced "so hard [that she] tore a ligament."

She's opened up about the lesson she's learned from her ankle injury (Mark Cant/Woman's Health)

AJ said she's learning to listen to her body more (Mark Cant/Woman's Health)

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She further commented recently: "This is someone who hasn't quite figured out how to not burn out. So that's what I'm going to focus on – that's the lesson for me."

AJ said that attending the Strictly final, after having to pull out due to her injury, was bittersweet. She described it as being "like a sweet dream and a beautiful nightmare."

She's the cover star of the latest issue of Women's Health (Mark Cant/Woman's Health)

AJ described the final of Strictly as like a 'dream' and a 'nightmare' (Mark Cant/Woman's Health)

The presenter - who ended up third in the competition after dropping out - recalled that she couldn't quite believe that she didn't get the chance to perform in the final.

Her departure left chef John Whaite, 32, and actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, 27, in the competition as finalists, with the latter going on to be crowned the winner of Strictly last year.

You can read the full interview with AJ Odudu in the May issue of Women's Health UK which is on sale now.

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