Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Debbie McGee has credited the hit BBC show with helping her to reshape her life following the death of celebrity magician husband Paul Daniels.
The 63-year old, who appeared in the 2017 series and finished runner-up alongside professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice, said doing so gave her a new lease of life.
"I had the best partner in Giovanni, and I was back in show business again," she told Hello magazine.
"People knew who I was before, but I was still the magician’s assistant. Since Strictly I’ve been Debbie McGee in my own right."
Debbie and Paul were married for 28 years until his death in 2016 at the age of 77.
Now a presenter for BBC Radio Berkshire, the widow went on to explain that grief counsellors encourage you to build a life around grief rather than wait for time to act as a healer.
Debbie continued: "That’s how I feel. I had this amazing life with Paul, and going through all this stuff reminds me of everything we did.
"I led a princess life. Usually if you’re in a double act, when one partner goes, the other one struggles. The strength of the two has gone."
Six years on from his passing Debbie has decided to auction off items from Paul's magic collection, including the famous Geometrix, which she describes as a typical magician's box' with swords that "go through the front and back and down the sides".
With more than 600 lots available for his fans to buy and enjoy next month, Debbie added: "When you look at it, it’s impossible for me to be in there, but Paul would wheel it round the stage to prove there wasn’t a trap door.
"Then he would quickly pull out the swords and open the door. And there I would be, still shackled inside! Even magicians couldn’t work out how his tricks were done.”
Last year, Debbie, who has her own podcast, Spill the Tea with Debbie McGee - said that after years of mourning her late husband, she is finally ready to contemplate meeting someone else.
"I’m not seeing anyone and I haven’t been in a relationship with anybody since Paul died, but if I met the right person I could definitely see myself finding love again now," she previously told The Mirror.
“When Paul died I felt completely lost. I didn’t know who I was any more or whether people would want to know me without Paul. But now I feel very comfortable with who I am. I’m much stronger."
She added: “I still hear his voice and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that.
"I miss everything about him, but you’ve still got to live and decide ‘do you want to live and be unhappy that they’ve gone or be happy that you had them?’ And mine is definitely the second one.
"In my head I just think that if I don’t meet anybody, I need to know I can be happy and that’s what I’ve got now. I’m back to my old self."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
