Strictly 2024 star reveals 40-year battle for his health

Strictly Come Dancing star Toyah Willcox has spoken about her decades-long health battle and how she finally felt some relief.

The 66-year-old 80s pop icon magicked her way onto TV screens this weekend as Strictly returned for its 20th anniversary series.

In addition to Toyah, the glamorous line-up also includes Chris McCausland, Jamie Borthwick, Sam Quek, Tasha Ghouri, Pete Wicks, Paul Merson, Nick Knowles, Sarah Hadland and more, all vying for the coveted Glitterball trophy.

Toyah has earned her place on the bill as a music legend; her career spans more than 40 years and includes eight top 40 singles, over 20 albums and 40 stage plays.

Away from the spotlight of showbiz, however, the musician had previously struggled with chronic health problems.

Toyah makes no secret of other health-related hurdles she has faced in her life: she was born with a curved spine, a clubfoot in her right foot, and one leg that is shorter than the other.

Worst of all, however, was the insomnia that began to take its toll at the age of 14.

Speaking to The Mirror, Toyah – whose partner on Strictly is Neil Jones – explained that her illness was first triggered by exam stress.

“I experienced the typical teenage stress that comes with the pressure of cramming for exams and sitting for hours before exams,” Toyah said.

“I spent what felt like a whole month writing exams and just not sleeping. Once the pattern was established, it became a habit and I never really thought about it because no one really talked about insomnia back then. You just had bad sleep.”

Toyah’s insomnia worsened and soon the number of hours she slept each night was “reduced from five to three.”

“I got into a state where I didn’t fall into deep sleep until between 8 and 10 in the morning, and I still have that routine today,” she confessed.

According to the NHS, a healthy adult generally needs around seven to nine hours of sleep. Insomnia is a common sleep disorder with symptoms including difficulty falling asleep, waking up several times during the night and feeling tired during the day.

Toyah’s problems continued during her time at drama school, but as her schedule became busier after joining a punk band, she realised that the lack of rest was not conducive to her hectic lifestyle.

“I’ve just learned to deal with the lack of sleep over the decades,” she admitted.

The star emphasizes that she has otherwise “always” led a healthy life, but still lies awake until 2 a.m. most nights.

After seeking professional help, she added: “The doctors told me that I needed to remain physically still in the dark to give my joints a break and my brain a chance to shut down.”

Toyah also tried sleeping pills like temazepam, but vowed never to touch it again because of its “addictive potential.”

“I was always in a bad mood when I wanted to wake up, and at some point I just thought, ‘What’s the point?’ So I came up with a method to use my insomnia to my advantage.”

It was only when Toyah tried acupuncture that she was able to alleviate her insomnia a little. Acupuncture is a treatment method from ancient Chinese medicine in which fine needles are inserted into specific parts of the body.

She had her first session in 2012 and recalled: “After that, I immediately slept six or seven hours a night.”

“I had less joint pain, my skin looked great and I was much more radiant and full of energy.”

Toyah continued the treatment for six weeks before switching to monthly boosters. Since then, she has been receiving the treatment every three months to help ease her restless nights.

However, one thing still worries her: the “what if”.

“The only question I sometimes ask myself is, ‘Would I have accomplished more if I hadn’t suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years?’ And the honest answer is, I’m just not sure.”

“All I know is that I will always love acting and singing until one day I go on stage and realize that I’m embarrassing myself!”

Toyah will dance for the nation in front of millions of viewers next weekend when the cast of Strictly 2024 perform their first routines.

Ahead of the show’s launch, she revealed that her husband, musician Robert Fripp, “burst into tears” when he found out she would be taking part in Strictly.

She added that he kept telling her how “proud” he was when the King Crimson star was in the audience.

Toyah, who has already lavished praise on her professional partner, said of long-time pro Neil that meeting him had taken her to “heaven”.

She even promised that she would be the first retiree to “abseil through this studio.”

Strictly Come Dancing airs every Saturday and Sunday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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