Strictly’s Tyler West reveals what he ‘struggles’ the most with as he opens up about gruelling training with Dianne

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Tyler West has opened up about his biggest challenge on the BBC dancing competition.

The radio DJ – who is coupled up with Aussie professional Dianne Buswell – said his busy work schedule was initially clashing with his gruelling training sessions.

But the Kiss FM star, 26, said he has now dedicated his time to the show and is putting in the hours to secure a place in the final, with Tyler convinced he has “all the ingredients” to win the show.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun at the KISS FM Haunted House party, Tyler said: “My schedule didn’t help me out at the start of the process, that didn’t help me at all.

“So, the most difficult thing has been my time management and finding the hours.

“But we have found the hours and we’re really happy we can dedicate to it – it’s different challenges each week.”

Tyler praised his pro partner for lifting his mood when he’s feeling exhausted during training.

“Dianne is like a whole energy in itself, imagine going to work and being like ‘oh I can’t be bothered for this today’, but Dianne is an extra added energy to the room, and I just come alive, she’s wicked,” he said.

Dianne echoed: “The same for Tyler, our energies bounce off each other.

“If one of us is a little bit tired, the other one gives a boost and vice versa.”

Despite his jampacked schedule, Tyler jetted to Mauritius for two hours and forty minutes for his brother’s wedding last month.

“It was very emotional, it was hard, but it was an emotional time because my brother was getting married and for me having to do the travel back and forth.

“They are so supportive of me and my whole family was like ‘please go back and smash it on the dancefloor on Saturday night’.”

The star admitted there is nothing stopping him from lifting the glitterball trophy.

Tyler said: “The show is well underway now.

“The improvements and feedback are coming, the judges’ comment are there and we’re taking them on board.

“I feel like I’m becoming a little dancer, I genuinely feel like I’m in that zone.”

Speaking about who their biggest competition is, Dianne said: “Everyone, because everyone has their good dance on a different week, you literally can’t tell.”

“We got all the ingredients to win it, we train hard,” Tyler said.

Dianne agreed and said: “We’d love to, we always say we’re going to take every dance one step at a time.”

The pair were also quick to defend head judge Shirley Ballas after she was recently accused of favouritism.

Tyler said: “I feel like the judges are all amazing in their own right, they all have their own abilities and skills on what they focus on, and we take their constructive criticism on board no matter what it is and no matter what dance it is.

“I feel like they all equally look at us and judge it that way. I would hate to be in the judge’s position, having to sit there and critique each couple each week.

“It is hard, everyone puts in so much effort and the judges are amazing in their own right and what they do.”

Dianne said: “She’s a first-class judge and she knows exactly what she’s talking about, she’s been all over, and she knows how to judge and we respect her feedback.”