Who is Jody Cundy? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant and Paralympian
The eight-time Gold medal winner has taken to the dance floor.
Like all of the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestants, Jody Cundy has thrown himself into every challenge asked of him by his professional partner Jowita Przystal, from an American Smooth to a Paso Doble.
And this week was no exception, with the contestant taking on a Salsa to Bellini's Samba de Janeiro, during which Jowita ripped open his shirt right at the very start of the number.
While the judges did have some praise for Jody, he finished bottom of the Week 4 leaderboard with a score of 19, making it two consecutive weeks at the foot of the table.
He will face comedian Eddie Kadi and his partner Karen Hauer in the dance-off.
But Jody has undoubtedly faced bigger challenges during his time on Strictly, suffering a prosthetic leg infection just days before last week's live show – which he was thankfully given the all-clear for.
So, who is Jody Cundy and what has he said about his Strictly Come Dancing appearance? Read on for everything you need to know about.
Who is Jody Cundy?
Age: 44
Job: World and Paralympic Champion in cycling and swimming
Instagram: @jody_cundy
Twitter: @jodycundy
Strictly partner: Jowita Przystał
Jody Cundy CBE is a World and Paralympic Champion who first began his pro athlete career in swimming before moving to cycling.
He has won eight Gold, one Silver and three Bronze medals at a record-breaking seven Summer Paralympics. He also counts 23 World Championships titles under his belt (20 in cycling and three in swimming), including a win at the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow this week.
Cundy, who was born with a deformed right foot which was amputated at the age of three, was awarded an MBE for his services to disability sport, which was later upgraded to an OBE for his services to swimming and cycling. In 2022, he received a CBE for services to cycling.
The pro athlete's list of accomplishments and accolades doesn't end there, however. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctor in Health Sciences from Anglia Ruskin University and currently holds the world record in the Flying 200m and the 1km Time Trial, as well as 14 consecutive world titles in the MC4 Kilo Time Trial.
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Jody Cundy's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week One: Quickstep (5+5+6+5) = 21
Week Two: Paso Doble (3+4+4+5) = 16
Week Three: American Smooth (4+5+5+6) = 20
Week four: Salsa (3+5+5+6) = 19
What has Jody Cundy said about joining Strictly 2022?
Speaking of joining the Strictly line-up, Cundy CBE said: "[I am] excited to be welcomed into the Strictly family and throw myself head first into the world of ballroom dancing.
"So far away from what I'm used to, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and pushing myself way out of my comfort zone, especially as I'm always last onto the dance floor. Can't wait to get stuck in, bring on the glitter and sequins!"
The athlete also took to social media following the news, tweeting: "OMG, this is really happening!" Meanwhile, British Cycling posted a video on Instagram featuring the cyclist taking a shot at a spin.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Cundy said it's an "honour" to be on Strictly.
He said: "[It] gives me a great platform to help promote myself, disability sport, to get people up and off the sofas and kind of doing stuff that they never thought they could do because they'll see somebody doing it with one leg.
"And if I can do that to help people it's a fantastic opportunity to to be able to do something so, yeah, I'm looking forward to the whole process. But when they came ringing us, like Strictly don't ring up everybody to ask them to do it, so it took a bit of thinking, but I gave in."
When does Strictly Come Dancing 2023 air?
The famed dancing competition returned to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 16th September at 6:35pm, and now airs every Saturday evening.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 14th October at 6:30pm. The results show will air on Sunday 15th October on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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