Tyler West flew to Mauritius for three hours at his brother's wedding before getting back to 'Strictly' training
Tyler West has revealed he flew all the way to Mauritius for just three hours at his brother's wedding so that he could fit in his Strictly Come Dancing training as well as the family event.
Radio DJ West, 26, had promised his older brother Lewis and bride Yasmin that he would be there to see them get married, despite his commitments at the BBC One show.
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West, who dances in Strictly with Dianne Buswell, described himself to Mail Online as "an emotional wreck", explaining he had taken a 12-hour flight to Mauritius straight from a full day of Strictly training on Tuesday, was held up in the airport when he got there for two hours, and then took an hour's transfer to the wedding hotel.
He helped his brother to get ready and watched the wedding vows before rushing back to the airport so as not to miss more than a day of training.
Talking about his three-hour visit to the wedding, he said: "I watched the ceremony, he said his vows and 'I do', and it was emotional but as the sun was going down and everyone was having their photos taken, I had to say my goodbyes and I went straight back to the airport. I got there at 3pm and I left just before 6pm for the airport.
"My brother and I are so close, so I was never going to miss that moment where he said I do. He was so overwhelmed I was able to be there."
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Lewis is five years older and for much of the Strictly contestant's childhood, it was just them and their mum - although he later gained a stepfather and younger sisters.
Describing Lewis as his "idol", West said he could not miss the "once in a lifetime experience" and had told Strictly bosses that being at the wedding in Mauritius was a non-negotiable when he signed up.
West explained that he had always looked up to his former AFC Wimbledon footballer brother when he lacked confidence as a child.
He said of insisting on going to the wedding: "Family comes first, and you do have a life outside of your work. We've always been close, and my brother always been there."
But West admitted he had one regret about the trip - that he had missed the first dance, which had motivated him to try even harder in this weekend's show.
Earlier this month, West completed the London Marathon just hours after a live Strictly show and went on to achieve the first full 10 points for his Charleston days later.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One.
Watch: Who is Strictly's Tyler West?