Sam Quek's devastating family tragedy and admission over husband's Strictly 'jealousy' from

Sam Quek's devastating family tragedy and admission over husband's 'jealousy' over Strictly

Olympic gold medallist Sam Quek has bravely opened up about the devastating family tragedy that inspired her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.

The former hockey player, 33, revealed that her father-in-law passed away just three weeks before she signed up for the BBC dance show. She told The Sun: "My father-in-law passed away three weeks before Strictly started. It was awful timing and it was really hard because I felt like I was on a bit of a downward spiral."

Sam said that she was struggling to cope with her grief and was "in a really dark place" when she received a phone call from Strictly bosses.

She said: "I was in a really dark place and I don't think I would have got out of it if it wasn't for Strictly. I was struggling to cope with my grief and I was just going through the motions. "But Strictly gave me something to focus on and it helped me to get out of that dark place."

Sam also admitted that her husband, Tom Mairs, was "jealous" of her Strictly dance partner, AJ Pritchard.

She said: "Tom was a bit jealous of AJ because they were spending so much time together. He would say things like, 'I'm going to come down to training and watch you.' "But I think he got over it in the end."

Quek also praised her husband for his support during her time on Strictly, saying: "He was amazing. He would come to all the shows and he would always be there for me. He was my biggest fan."

Sam and AJ reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, finishing in fourth place. She has since gone on to become a successful TV presenter and sports commentator. In 2018, she married her long-term boyfriend, Tom Mairs. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Molly, in March 2021.