BBC Strictly Come Dancing star reveals 'very painful' neurological diagnosis after 'risky' surgery

Susanna Constantine has revealed she was told she had a one in three chance of having a brain haemorrhage, stroke or being paralysed after being diagnosed with a rare neurological condition. But the 61 year old was also warned that she also had a one in 10 chance of suffering any of the three during the risky surgery too.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, who rose to fame with partner Trinny Woodall on fashion show What Not To Wear, shared she had been diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation - an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that causes problems with the connections between your arteries and the passage of blood and oxygen to the brain.

The TV star, who was paired with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke in 2018, was rushed into hospital and previously told she was "lucky to be alive." She has now told The Times of its effects pre-surgery.

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She said: "My left arm became weaker. All the muscles were atrophied, it was withered. I got to the point where I couldn't even change gear in my car and it was very painful."

She added: "It was actually the receptionist who looked at the notes, which had been sitting there over a year, and said, 'You need to see a neurosurgeon immediately.'''

Susanna then added: "Women are very resilient. I've learnt just to be accepting of everything and I couldn't change anything that was out of my control. Being older, you're just like, 'OK, it's done. On to the next thing.' Things start falling off and there's nothing we can do about it. You just have to be more vigilant and take more responsibility about one's health."

She previously explained the risky surgery to OK! Magazine: "They said 'It's Hobson's Choice, if you don't have the operation, you've got a one in three chance of having a brain haemorrhage, being paralysed or having a stroke.

"'If you do have surgery, you've got a one in 10 chance of these same things happening during the operation."

Susanna had also been diagnosed with venous fistula - which is an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein. She explained she had suffered pins and needles in her arm, a swollen left eye and tinnitus. She added: "I had a health scare and a pretty major operation. It was a very rare thing where I had a leak - the arteries were bleeding into the capillaries and trapping the spinal cord, and affecting my brain."