Double amputee takes to the Strictly dancefloor

Double amputee Billy Monger is to take part as a contestant in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special.

The TV presenter and former racing driver from Charlwood in Surrey, will compete with professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova in the show to be broadcast on BBC 1 on 25 December.

The 25-year-old had both legs amputated after a near-fatal crash in 2017.

He said of his latest challenge "the thought of donning sequins in front of Craig Revel Horwood fills me with a fear I've never experienced before".

He said: "This is about as far from my comfort zone as it can get.

"My family are big Strictly fans, so I'm doing it for them.

"I'm just hoping my leg doesn't fall off mid-dance."

Other celebrities competing in the Christmas special are comedian Josh Widdicombe, drag artist Tayce, presenter Vogue Williams, Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and actor Tamsin Outhwaite.

Billy Monger was critically injured in a high-speed collision while racing in Formula 4 which left him with both legs amputated.

Despite this, he refused to give up on his racing career, lobbying to allow both disabled and non-disabled drivers to race alongside each other.

He won the BBC Sports Personality Helen Rollason Award and had a Bafta-nominated BBC documentary made about his story.

He is a presenter and pundit on Channel 4's coverage of Formula One and the Paralympics.

Monger said he had spent the last 12 months training 20 hours a week for an Ironman world record charity challenge he successfully completed in October in Hawaii.

He finished the 226.3km (140.6 miles) course in 14 hours 23 minutes 56 seconds, more than two hours inside the previous record raising funds for Comic Relief.

In the same month he was banned from driving for 49 days after a crash in Surrey.

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