Penny Lancaster feared she would never walk again after seriously injuring her back.
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The model, who is married to 62-year-old rocker Rod Stewart, revealed doctors warned her she could be paralysed for life unless she underwent surgery on a slipped disc.
Penny, who had an emergency operation to correct her ongoing back problem in February, was thrilled when she was given the all-clear to compete in celebrity BBC talent show Strictly Come Dancing.
She said: ‘I may have been eliminated but the training and dancing was the best form of rehabilitation and healing.
‘Muscles in my left foot still don’t work properly. That is probably why I wasn’t very good at the jive. But I wanted to be judged on my performance. I was just grateful to be able to walk, never mind dance.’
Penny was one of the judging panel’s favourite dancers, wowing them with her impressive foxtrot. She became the sixth contestant to leave the show on November 11, after struggling to master a fast-paced salsa.
The 36-year-old model also hinted she is ready to have another child with Rod.
Penny, whose son Alastair turns two next week, added to Hello!: ‘My surgeon told me to wait about six months before trying to get pregnant again.’
