BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has issued a heartfelt message to those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
The dancer was diagnosed with the chronic condition in his home country of Ukraine when he was 13 years old, admitting he thought his "career was over".
Type 1 diabetes means the pancreas cannot produce the hormone insulin, leading to unregulated levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood.
Often exercise will cause blood sugar levels to drop, making physically-demanding careers like dance harder to sustain. Nikita wears a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor, often visible in his Strictly costumes, to keep an eye on these levels.
Speaking to The Independent alongside dance partner Amber Davies, Nikita said diabetes is a "superpower" that teaches "resilience, awareness, and planning" from a very young age.
The dancer committed to representing his “fellow diabetics in the best way possible."
