Strictly terrified: Dance show a frightener for Paralympian Jonnie Peacock

PARALYMPIC hero Jonnie Peacock has admitted the Strictly dancefloor is more terrifying than facing 80,000 fans at London 2012.

Jonnie, 24, is a double Paralympic, World and European T44 champion.

But speaking to The Sunday Post just before his debut on the first live show of the new series last night, he confessed dancing not running scared him more.

“I had four years to prepare for London and I’ve had two weeks to prepare for this,” he said.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing, so this is definitely a lot more nerve-wracking.”

The Cambridge-born athlete has won every major event he’s entered including the 2016 Paralympic Games and the 2017 World Championships.

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A below-the-knee amputee as a result of childhood meningitis, he admits he wants to change some of the stigmas surrounding disabilities and misconceptions about what can be done.

“I went along for my medical for the show and the doctor asked whether I was going to be OK with the lifts. I said I was OK training for athletics in the gym with 200kg on my back, so I reckoned I’d be fine. But this has been so much harder than I thought it would be.”

Although Jonnie admits he was picked on as a kid, he refused to let it get him down.

“I was bullied at school, but I think a lot of kids are. Everyone has hard times and I might have had a bit more than others. It just makes you stronger.”

He intends to have his normal prosthetic leg for the slower ballroom routines but is planning on wearing a blade for the faster dances like the jive and the quickstep.

Partner Oti Mabuse, who reached last year’s final with Danny Mac, said: “Jonnie takes in the information but it takes a while to get that to the body, so we have a long way to go.”

The marathon opening show saw all 15 celebrities dance for the first time, including Scots Susan Calman and Joe McFadden. It also saw new head judge Shirley Ballas dish out her first verdicts since taking over from Len Goodman.