Gladiator star and former Olympian Harry Aikines-Aryeetey made his Strictly Come Dancing debut tonight, and found himself getting more emotional than expected.

The athlete, 37, performed a Cha Cha Cha to Push It by Salt-N-Pepa alongside professional partner, Karen Hauer.

As the routine drew to a close, presenter Tess Daly noted Mr Aikines-Aryeetey seemed overwhelmed and quickly commented: “Harry! Are you OK? You alright? Talk to me! Go on, what’s wrong?”

The former sprinter paused before commenting: “This time last year, I just… I wasn’t able to do anything like that.

“And I never thought I’d be myself again… It just feels so nice to be myself at last.”

“You had an injury,” Ms Daly explained before Mr Aikines-Aryeetey continued: “I had an injury and I wasn’t able to walk, run, yeah… I just feel emotional.”

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