Strictly winner Jay McGuinness suffered secret family heartbreak during show

Jay McGuiness has lifted the lid on the incredibly difficult time in his personal life he endured while competing on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Wanted star and professional dancing partner Aliona Vilani walked away as the overall winners of the BBC competition in 2015.

Now, five years on, the 30-year-old has revealed that while he was doing his best to show off his dance moves, there were much more important aspects of life occupying his mind.

Opening up about his heartbreak for the first time, Jay insisted that he couldn’t have got through the ‘toughest week of his life’ if it wasn’t for the support and kindness of his Strictly partner, Aliona.

Reminiscing about his remarkable Strictly journey, the former Wanted star explained that the hardest aspect of the show was dealing with the death of a close family member.

Jay told Express.co.uk, that until now, he was ‘unwilling’ to share the details of the devastating period in his life after he suffered ‘the toughest week’ on the show.

“One of my family members passed away and I was pretty unwilling to talk about it on the show.

Jay explained that Aliona convinced producers to scrap their upbeat dance routine for a more chilled and emotive number under the circumstances.

“I was not feeling ready to perform a really happy cheesy number. With Aliona’s help, she convinced the producers to mix things around – let me do something that I felt I was able to do.

Although he has never confirmed which family member suddenly passed away during his time on the show, the pop star insisted that he will always be grateful to his dance partner and producers for allowing him to change around routines at the last minute.

Jay continued: “I’ll always remember that and be super grateful. That was probably the toughest week though.”

Jay’s admission comes as his former band-mate Max George has been confirmed for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Upon hearing the news that his pal has bagged a highly sought-after space on the competition, Jay took to Twitter to share his support for his former band-mate.

“I’m so SO happy for @MaxGeorge and his @bbcstrictly journey, Max show them what you’re made of x.”