‘Just horrible!’ Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer reveals she was fat-shamed during her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012 despite being a size 6
- The actress – who is returning in a reboot of Tracy Beaker this month – finished fourth in the BBC show with dance partner Vincent Simone
- Dani, 31, told Radio Times how she was bombarded with abuse by trolls about her looks
- She said: ‘I was like, “Holy moly, if I’m fat, God knows what other people must be thinking if they’re bigger than me!”
- The star impressed the judges during her time in the competition and ultimately reached the final -which was won by gymnast Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace
Dani Harmer has revealed she was fat-shamed during her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
The actress – who is returning in a reboot of Tracy Beaker this month – finished fourth in the BBC show with dance partner Vincent Simone, but says the sparkle was taken off the accomplishment thanks to the trolling.
Dani, 31, who was a size six when she performed on the show, told Radio Times how she was bombarded with abuse about her looks.
Strictly Come Shaming! Dani Harmer has revealed she was fat-shamed during her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012 [pictured]
She said: ‘I was like, “Holy moly, if I’m fat, God knows what other people must be thinking if they’re bigger than me!” That must be just horrible. I can think of things really logically and be like, obviously, I’m not fat, that’s ridiculous.
‘This person, obviously, is just bored, or has something wrong with their life that they feel like this is the only way they can get some validation and I actually feel sorry for them.
‘So I can kind of put it logically, I guess. But yeah, for kids it must be so hard.’
Now: ‘I was like, “Holy moly, if I’m fat, God knows what other people must be thinking if they’re bigger than me!” That must be just horrible,’ she said. ‘I can think of things really logically and be like, obviously, I’m not fat, that’s ridiculous!’
Success? The actress finished fourth in the BBC show with dance partner Vincent Simone [pictured], but says the sparkle was taken off the accomplishment thanks to the trolling
Nasty! Dani, 31, who was a size six when she performed on the show, told Radio Times how she was bombarded with abuse about her looks
The star added that people are now ‘a bit more open’ about their mental health in the present days and that others were using their social media pages more responsibly.
The star impressed the judges during her time in the competition and ultimately reached the final -which was won by gymnast Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace.
Dani is preparing to reprise her iconic role as tearaway Tracey Beaker – with the BBC recently releasing a new spoiler ahead of the upcoming reboot -titled My Mum Tracy Beaker.
Dani, who played the former tearaway teen in the original 2002 series, will reprise the character who is now in her thirties.
In the reboot based on Jacqueline Wilson’s 2018 book, Tracy is a single mother to 10-year-old daughter Jess, played by Emma Maggie Davies, as the duo try to ‘scrape by financially’.
She’s back! Dani will return to Tracy Beaker in February with the BBC releasing a new spoiler ahead of the upcoming reboot (pictured in show still with her on-screen daughter)
Yet their lives are transformed by Tracy’s new rich footballer boyfriend, Sean Godfrey, played by Jordan Duvigneau.
Sean, who is recently retired and has always admired Tracy since they were young, wants to whisk the mother and daughter away to his lavish mansion.
But with things starting to go ‘pear-shaped’, it’s up to Tracy’s 10-year-old daughter Jess to save the day.
My Mum Tracy Beaker will also see original show regulars Lisa Coleman, who plays Tracy’s foster mum Cam, Montanna Thompson, who plays Tracy’s nemesis Justine Littlewood, and Ruth Gemmell, who plays Tracy’s estranged mother Carly Beaker.
All grown up! In new show My Mum Tracy Beaker, Dani, 31, who played the former tearaway teen in the original 2002 series, will reprise the character who is now in her thirties (pictured with on-screen daughter Jess and footballer love interest Sean in show still)
Then and now: Dani began playing the iconic role of Tracy Beaker in 2002 when she was just 12-years-old
The reboot will be shown from the perspective of Jess and coincides with the 30th anniversary of Jacqueline Wilson’s original 1991 book The Story Of Tracy Beaker.
Dani began playing the iconic role of Tracy Beaker in 2002 when she was just 12-years-old.
In October, the actress admitted she was nervous to return to the role that launched her acting career, especially as lockdown restrictions in Manchester meant she was had to stay away from her family.
Dani shares four-year-old Avarie-Belle Betsy with boyfriend Simon Brough, and tweeted that they would be apart for the duration of filming.
Mother and daughter: In the reboot based on Jacqueline Wilson’s 2018 book, Tracy is a single mother to 10-year-old daughter Jess, played by Emma Maggie Davies, as the duo try to ‘scrape by financially’
Amazing: Yet their lives are transformed by Tracy’s new rich footballer boyfriend, Sean Godfrey, played by Jordan Duvigneau
‘Off to Manchester I go! Stupid virus means I can’t see my family for 5 weeks which is going to be beyond tough! But needs must!
‘The mum guilt is off the scale! Let’s hope these 5 weeks go super quick! Thank goodness for FaceTime,’ she told her followers.
In August, Dani revealed how she was excited to take on the role of Tracy again in the upcoming series.
Dani said: ‘I cannot wait to return (again) to the role of Tracy! I’m just like a fan myself and want to know what happens next and where this next journey will take her.
Save the day! But with things starting to go ‘pear-shaped’, it’s up to Tracy’s 10-year-old daughter Jess to save the day
Yay! My Mum Tracy Beaker will also see original show regulars Lisa Coleman, who plays Tracy’s foster mum Cam
Exciting: Montanna Thompson, who plays Tracy’s nemesis Justine Littlewood, has also reprised her role
‘I absolutely adore playing the character and I’m looking forward to taking on the challenge of portraying her as a first time mum.’
Dani explained how she was eager to know how Tracy has developed since becoming a mum.
‘Being a mother myself I know how much it changes you so I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s changed Tracy but still keeping her the same feisty strong female lead that people know and love,’ she added.
The book My Mum Tracy Beaker was published in 2018 by author Wilson and sees the heroine struggling to make ends meet on a ‘tough’ housing estate in London.
Celebrate: The reboot will be shown from the perspective of Jess and coincides with the 30th anniversary of Jacqueline Wilson’s original 1991 book The Story Of Tracy Beaker
‘Tracy has been a character that’s haunted me, she’s the sort of person who sticks in your mind,’ the critically-acclaimed author, 75, revealed in 2018.
‘When I realised just how long ago it was since I wrote the first Tracy Beaker book, I thought ‘if we were in real time, Tracy herself would be in her 30s.’
‘And I’ve always thought that, even though Tracy had lots of problems in her life and a pretty rubbish mum who was never there for her, Tracy herself would be a good mum, no matter what.’
The story, which is aimed at both adults who loved the book and seven to 11-year-old children, is told from Tracy’s daughter, Jess’ perspective.
Plot: The original story followed Tracy living in a children’s residential care home nicknamed the ‘Dumping Ground’ (pictured in throwback show still)
The family are living on a ‘hand-to-mouth existence’ when Tracy meets up with someone from her past and their ‘whole lives turn upside down’.
And while fans will remember Tracy as a loud, mischievous 10-year-old, her daughter is ‘quieter, more timid and worried about what other people think of her’.
In 2018, Dani appeared in a one episode special of the CBBC show which also starred EastEnders’ favourite Michelle Collins.
The episode told the story of carer Mike’s wedding day with a missing groom and the cast set to track him down.
Jacqueline’s breakthrough in children’s literature was with The Story Of Tracy Beaker back in 1991, which she followed on with popular books such as Double Act, Bad Girls and The Illustrated Mum.
The novel, and subsequent TV series, dealt with hard-hitting themes including fostering, neglect and social services.
Reprise: The book My Mum Tracy Beaker was published in 2018 by author Jacqueline Wilson and sees the heroine struggling to make ends meet on a ‘tough’ housing estate in London
Source: Read Full Article