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BBC Strictly's Bill Bailey's life off screen from rarely-seen wife to grief over pal's death

Bill Bailey won Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 and is now hosting a new BBC series, but away from TV fame has suffered a great loss and experienced his own health battles

But Bill's journey hasn't always been full of positivity and laughs as he felt deep sadness when he lost his friend Sean Lock to cancer in 2021 and also faced his own health worries, reports The Mirror. Bill, whose real name is Mark Robert Bailey, met his wife Kristin at a comedy show in 1987 - she was managing a bar in Edinburgh and he became smitten by her unique style and free spirit. Bill Bailey won the Strictly Glitterball with Oti Mabuse in 2020 (Image: BBC/Guy Levy)"Each time I went on stage, I literally had an inhaler perched next to the microphone, one by my guitar and another on the piano," he admitted, adding: "I was so scared of not being able to breathe again."

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