Diane Buswell has hit back at criticism of her Strictly Come Dancing styling, saying she loves her body and her costumes 8 months after giving birth. The response came after a quickstep video drew comments about her wardrobe, including one viewer who called some outfits frumpy.
Buswell, 37, wrote, "I have loved all my outfits" and added, "I had a baby 8 months ago I’m still breast feeding and I’m bigger than I have ever been so actually it’s just that I have more weight on me but I love my body and how I look in my costumes 💗🙏" That answer puts the issue back on the practical reality of postpartum dancing rather than the online commentary around it.
Strictly Come Dancing styling
Buswell joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 and has become one of the show’s most visible professionals. She did not take time off while pregnant, continued dancing with Stefan Dennis, and then returned this autumn to dance with Will Best.
The wardrobe criticism arrived after a recent quickstep performance, but it sits on top of a longer pattern around her appearance. Last series, she was the only pro to compete while pregnant, and she reposted a message that said, "I don’t want to see her dance being pregnant. It’s already feeling uncomfortable and she’s only starting to show. It’s really not appropriate" before replying, "I can’t believe in 2025 things like this are still being said."
March 2026 and Bowden
March 2026 brought another layer to the story: Buswell and Joe Sugg welcomed their first baby together, a son named Bowden. On the Winning Isn’t Everything podcast with Chris McCausland, she said, "Obviously, with lifts, there’s going to be a bit more caution. But my doctor has said everything is normal," and added, "He said, basically, if you’ve done it before, in terms of being a dancer, and you’ve done this, done that, then crack on and keep doing what you’re doing,"
That is the real takeaway for Strictly viewers: Buswell is not asking for special treatment, just room for the body she is in now. The criticism may keep following the costumes, but her reply makes the standard clear — she is dancing, breastfeeding, and judging her own work by the performance, not the comment thread.
