Dani Dyer is swapping nursery drop-offs for the paso doble as she gets set to shimmy onto the Strictly dance floor — and the former Love Island winner still can’t believe her luck. “I’m just so excited. Like, so, so excited. It still doesn’t feel real for me,” she tells OK ! “It’s just such an honour. I mean, it’s a show that you watch yearly and think, ‘I would love to be able to be on there.’”
Dani, 29, will be competing against fellow celebrities including Olympian Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, AKA Gladiators ’ Nitro, EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, who plays Suki Panesar, and Drag Race UK runner-up La Voix.
And the mum-of-three admits that she’s already started tapping up some of the show’s former contestants in the hope of getting some vital ballroom tips. “Dan Walker messaged me and he basically just told me to have the best experience ever,” Dani says. “But I probably should reach out to a few more people and start slipping in some DMs for advice. I just want to enjoy the experience — how far I get isn’t as important.”
One thing Dani knows she won’t be short of on her Strictly journey is the support of her family, not just from her actor dad, Danny, but also from new husband Jarrod Bowen and her children. Dani has four-year-old son Santiago with her ex, Sammy Kimmence, while she and West Ham United footballer Jarrod are proud parents to two-year-old twins Summer and Star — and she’s certain the Bowen household will also be cheering her on.
“I remember watching Strictly last year and Jarrod’s mum, who is a massive Strictly fan, said to me, ‘I want that to be you.’ I think she manifested this for me, bless her.”
It’s already been a whirlwind year for Dani, who tied the knot with Jarrod, 28, in a lavish Buckinghamshire ceremony in May. “Oh my God, it was literally one of the best days of my entire life,” she says of her stunning wedding. “I’m so excited for anyone to get married, it’s just so special.
“It does feel like it’s gone so fast. It was such a big build-up to the wedding, with our hen and stag dos, then we got married and the first week [after] I was like, ‘Oh…’.
“I had the post-wedding blues terribly. My friend recently got married and was texting me, ‘Is this normal?’ So I reassured her I felt the same.”
While they may now be husband and wife, Dani says she feels “exactly the same” when it comes to day-to-day life with Jarrod. “So many people have asked how I feel, but nothing has changed between us, other than Jarrod wears a ring now, which is quite nice,” she says.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Dani walked down the aisle on her big day, and even her dad, former EastEnders actor Danny, struggled to hold back the tears. “My dad was really trying to keep it together, but when he saw Jarrod crying, that was it. Jarrod isn’t a crier, but he got really emotional when I walked down the aisle,” Dani recalls.
“I think, for him, it’s just the best feeling giving your daughter away to someone that you really love, because he just adores Jarrod. The next day he had to drive to Bristol for work and he told me that he was crying all the way there. It’s cute.”
Dani has an extremely close relationship with her famous father. As well as hosting a hit podcast together, Live And Let Dyers , she and the Rivals actor have appeared together on TV shows including Celebrity Gogglebox and their own reality series, Absolutely Dyer: Danny And Dani Do Italy .
“Me and my dad just get on with each other so well and we work together really well. We’ve always been the same,” says Dani. “I always say he’s like the naughty child and I’m reining him in a little bit.
“It can be funny with family — you either work well with people or you don’t, but the first thing we ever did together was Celebrity Gogglebox and we really laughed. Then a few more opportunities came up and we’ve just continued it. It’s so great.”
While Dani is gearing up for several weeks of glitz, glamour and foxtrots, her father is also riding a new wave of success, having scooped a TV Bafta earlier this year for his role in Sky comedy Mr Bigstuff , and Dani couldn’t be prouder.
“No one deserves it more than that man,” she beams. “He’s absolutely incredible and has done so well. He’s everywhere at the minute. We walked onto the train the other day and he was on a poster, and Santi said, ‘Why is Grandad up there?’ It was funny.”
Despite the fact that she and her dad are both regular fixtures on our TV screens, Dani insists her brood aren’t aware of their star status — yet. But she admits that Santi is slightly in awe of his soccer star stepdad.
“Santi absolutely loves watching Jarrod play,” she says. “The football kits… oh my! I don’t know how many times I have to wash them. He only wants to wear a football kit and all of his have the number 20 on the back, which is Jarrod’s number. If we ever walk past the number 20, he’ll say, ‘That’s my number.’”
Dani says life as a mum-of-three is “non-stop” and, as she prepares to cha-cha onto the Strictly dance floor, she’s feeling a mixture of emotions, with Santi heading off to school and the twins going to nursery.
“We’re moving onto new milestones,” she says. “Santi starting school was really big for me, because he’s my little boy and it’s one of those things — little boys and their mums.
“It’s massive, but also really exciting for him. I can’t believe the twins are at nursery, too. They waddled in today and didn’t look back. They were absolutely fine.”
While it’s clearly a wrench for Dani, she’ll no doubt appreciate having more ‘me-time’, especially with her schedule about to become jam-packed with dance rehearsals.
“It is nice to have time for myself as they get older,” she says. “I feel like I had Santi and then the twins, and didn’t have much time to breathe in between. The first year of becoming a mum is always the hardest, but you do find your pink again.”
Dani laughs when she thinks back to how easy things were when it was just Santi in the house and, while she clearly adores motherhood, she admits having twins isn’t for the faint-hearted.
“They are magical, they are gorgeous but, yes, we have our hands full,” she sighs. “Now they’re getting older, they start interacting more and their personalities come out more.
“I didn’t realise how different they would be. They’re completely opposite personalities to one another, which is really funny. It’s a roller-coaster,” she adds.
Despite her busy lifestyle, Dani has recently been able to indulge her love of fashion and has launched a new collection with high street retailer Peacocks.
“It’s such a lovely collaboration, and I absolutely love how affordable Peacocks’ clothes are and how stylish they are.
“Their jeans are so comfortable. I wish I’d found them sooner, because I’m 5ft 2in, so It’s hard to find ones that fit nicely.”
When it comes to finding inspiration for her new fashion collection, it was all about experimenting, reveals Dani. “I think I’ve definitely got better with trying new things, trying new styles and not playing it safe as much,” she says. “I like wearing a little bit more colour and I absolutely love the colours in this collection.
“We’re bringing out a pinstripe co-ord and it’s really lovely, because you can wear it with trainers, heels or boots. With fashion, you’ve just got to try out new things.”
After her experiences of being ‘ Strictly -fied’, we predict Dani’s next collection might feature the odd sequin or two!