Catherine Tyldesley has told how competing on Strictly Come Dancing helped her overcome low self-esteem.

The former Coronation Street actress was a contestant on the last series of the BBC show, where she was paired with professional Johannes Radebe.

She told Hello! magazine she was “lacking in confidence” and “didn’t feel comfortable” in her own skin before taking to the dancefloor.

Catherine Tyldesley
Catherine Tyldesley in Hello! (Hello!)

“Strictly showed me how to learn to love my body again,” said the mother-of-one.

“I became much more confident in myself and more grateful for what I can achieve.”

“It’s made me want to push myself even more,” she added.

Tyldesley, who has a four-year-old son, said she had been having back problems and that the show also helped with that.

Hello!
Hello! (Hello!)

She said: “My core has improved a lot as I had to use it all the time when dancing and it’s helped my posture. A couple of problems I was having with my back have improved massively thanks to the ballroom hold.”

Read the full article in Hello! magazine, which is out now.