Strictly star Montell Douglas's terrifying injury that left her unable to walk

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Montell Douglas, 38, was told she might never walk again after a serious sporting knock back left her facing a terrifying operation

Montell Douglas is proving herself to be a great competitor on Strictly Come Dancing, but one injury before her ballroom stint nearly left her career in tatters.

Some fans thought the athlete's dance to Nobody Gets Me by SZA with professional partner Johannes Radebe was undermarked last week, despite scoring an impressive 33 points.

Montell, 38, has called being on the show an "absolute dream come true" so she'll be hoping to dance her way to success this week too.

And you wouldn't bet against her - while Strictly is notoriously gruelling, the steely sprinter has faced tough times in her career, including a horror injury which left her unable to walk for three months.

Back in 2009, the former British record holder for the 100m at 11.05 seconds tore cartilage in her knee which left her needing an operation. She was even warned by her surgeon she might never walk again.

"My greatest challenge came from when I had surgery on my knee," she told Sport For Champions. "Following the surgery, I had to relearn how to walk, which put me in a difficult situation.

"So many of the things I could once do were stripped away from me instantly. I overcame this by focussing on what I had. I had a great support structure and a strong belief that I would beat this and go on to compete again."

Montell threw everything at her physio sessions while realising that recovering from her serious operation would take time. Thankfully, her hard work paid off.

"I had to learn to walk again," she told the Mirror. "I was doing everything I could on one leg. I was doing bike sessions on one leg. I was cleaning on one leg. I was doing it because I said: 'When this leg is ready to hit the ground, I will be ready'."

Just ten months later, Montell returned to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 and won a gold medal in the relay. She went onto switch to Bobsleigh six years later, taking part in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

In doing so, she became the first GB woman to compete in both Summer and Winter Games.

The sportswoman next turned to the BBC's remake of iconic show Gladiators, taking on the role of strongwoman Fire. "As a strong and powerful woman, I'm living proof that you can achieve your dreams, no matter what age or background," she said. "If you believe and keep pushing. I'm ready to light up the competition!"

Now, Montell has taken up the Strictly challenge and has been seriously lighting up the dancefloor too. It remains to be seen if the Glitterball Trophy could be within her sights.