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Strictly's Aljaz has opened up about his skin condition struggle

Photo credit: Karwai Tang - Getty Images
Photo credit: Karwai Tang - Getty Images

From Good Housekeeping

Strictly Come Dancing pro Aljaz Skorjanec has spoken out for the first time about living with psoriasis.

Talking to Kym Marsh and Gethin Jones on Morning Live, the dancer revealed how the skin condition had affected his life.

He developed the condition age 18, and was had an official diagnosis several years later. The condition occurs when the immune system attacks the skin cells, and affects between one and three percent of the population.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

"It affects my confidence and self esteem massively," he explained, adding that it makes him self-conscious.

Aljaz admitted it was at its worst in 2016, when he was paired with Daisy Lowe on Strictly. "For some reason, that year, the stress, and Janette and I started touring - the whole year was stressful.

"We put in long hours, and the body is under a lot of stress, [so] it gets worse when Strictly is on."

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

It got so bad, that Aljaz covered up his entire body, living and working in turtle necks and long sleeves. He didn't wear a t-shirt for a full year.

That said, in 2020 he's learning to not get so hung up on how his skin looks, and the changes we've all faced have helped him put things in perspective.

"With quarantine and isolation and being at home and not being able to work, [that] became more important than my skin," he said.

Photo credit: Karwai Tang - Getty Images
Photo credit: Karwai Tang - Getty Images

"I see it much more than people around me would, and I forgot about it for a couple of months. I completely wouldn't care about the red patches on my face - I'd be more worried about the future.

"It's something you try and had as much as you can. It does beat you down, but I'm kind of over it. I'm sick of worrying about it. It's going to be there forever, so I'm learning to accept it. You can't have it all."

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