BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Hamza has lost more than a stone since joining show

Strictly Come Dancing star Hamza Yassin has revealed that he has lost a stone since he started dancing on the hit BBC series. The wildlife cameraman and BBC star, 32, is paired up with professional dancer Jowita Przystal on this year's series.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: "I've lost a lot of weight already, around 6.5kg [one stone], which is unheard of really. But if you're training nine hours a day you kind of get that. It's hard. Everything just aches and aches. With the Foxtrot my knees ached, then it was my knees and my lower back for the Jive, and this week it's a hard dance [the Salsa]."

He continued: "These guys [the professional dancers] have been doing it for 12-15 years and we have to come to their standards in four days. We're never going to get to their standards, but we still have to learn the basics and do a show and perform and deliver it on a Saturday. It's kind of crazy, but I'm absolutely enjoying it."

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing's Hamza Yasin started career path in Wales wearing pink tutu and shiny tights before finding fame

Birmingham Live reports how he said: "It does get tough sometimes. Jowita's fitness levels are out of this world, but by about three or four o'clock I'm flagging, so she has to pull out all the stops to bring my energy back up again. It's a little bit like school. You're stuck in a studio listening to the same song a million times and you're trying to do the steps and everything."

Hamza and Jowita's salsa had everyone on their feet! (PA)

Summarising his Strictly adventure so far, Hamza added: "It's enjoyable, because if you have a good partner then time flies. Some days we look at the clock and we haven't even eaten lunch and I say, 'Wow, now I understand why I'm hungry.' But I'm loving every moment of it with Jowita. She's a really, really good teacher, and she's understanding and caring."

Over the weekend, Hamza and Jowita impressed judges with their salsa and even managed to bag three 10s. The high score not only secured them a position in this week's show but also, a place at the top of the leaderboard. Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.

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