Olympic swimming champion Tom Dean has said Strictly Come Dancing was as "mentally" challenging as the Olympics.
The gold-medallist swimmer and his professional dance partner Nadiya Bychkova became the first pair to be eliminated from this year’s series after they were beaten in the dance-off by singer Toyah Willcox and her partner Neil Jones.
Dean, 24, said the dance rehearsals were "full on" but he loved his time on the show and "would have loved to stay in for a little bit longer".
Comparing it to Olympic training, he said: "Physically, that’s a lot more hours and a lot more to remember. Obviously, with swimming, at least I know what I’m doing."
Asked if he believed being on Strictly is as hard as being in the Olympics, he said: "Mentally definitely.
"Everything about it, all the prep. And then actually on performance day and they go ‘You are going live in 10, nine’ – that gets you."
He hailed Bychkova as an "incredible teacher" who drilled the routine in to him before the shows by doing 30 repetitions of the dance, joking: "I thought I was on my break from Olympic training but it felt like I was right back in it."
He added: "The work is full on. It is a lot of hours and it’s a lot to remember as well. Physically, it’s a lot but also it’s all the steps.
"I loved it. I had a great time. I genuinely, really loved all parts of it."
Source: Press Association
.svg)