Dancing for his dinner

A FORMER semi-professional footballer is literally dancing for his dinner as part of a TV dieting show featuring the stars from BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing.

Mark Jones, 34, of West Lavington, weighed 18st and 6lbs when he began the eight-week series called Diet on the Dancefloor on Sky's Living channel.

Mr Jones decided to join the show after an injury forced him to give up football at Conwy United in north Wales and he piled on the pounds, but the show made him determined to lose the weight and think about his future.

Mr Jones said: "It's 100 per cent down to health reasons. I have always wanted a family and I want to be a healthy dad.

"It has been the best experience of my life. It is life changing. I lost two-and-a-half stone in eight weeks; I don't think any diet gives you the same results."

Mr Jones, who is an advertising manager for a golfing magazine based in Salisbury, now weighs just under 16 stone.

He watched the series of Strictly Come Dancing and admits he was over-awed about facing the judges.

He said: "I thought 'oh my God, those are the people that are judging us'.

At the end of the day they are the best."

Although Mr Jones is single, he admits there has been a TV romance with fellow contestant Amy Saunders, but the pressure from the show and filming proved too much, although he hasn't ruled out any future romances.

He said: "We were dating. Watch this space."

Contestants have performed everything from Bollywood and street dancing to salsa, and are assessed not only on their moves but on their fitness and weight loss that week.

The final of the show, which features celebrity judges Karen Hardy and Matthew Cutler from Strictly Come Dancing, will air on Wednesday at 9pm on Living.

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