Happy New Year my lovelies.  Wow, what a start to the year.  Hot off the back of an amazing yet hectic panto run as Cinderella in Bromley, Kent, my 2014 has kicked off with a permanent penchant for wearing a swim suit and throwing myself off stupidly high diving boards, all in the name of Saturday night entertainment.

 

Yep, I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s lycra skimp-fest, Splash! on ITV.  Last weekend saw my debut, and I cannot tell you quite how petrified I was before my first dive!  Deciding to take on the highest board wasn’t an easy decision but one I thought was necessary for me.  I’ve spent the past month or so tackling my fears of heights, deep water (I’ve never been able to open my eyes under water until this show), and my deep rooted fear of swimming pool vents.  Weird I know, but since I was kid, I’ve always been scared my hair was going to be sucked into a vent and drown me – it’s thanks to an episode of Michael Burke’s 999 telly show back in the day!

The elation I felt having not only tackled the cringe dressing gown dance and swimsuit unveiling at the top of the show, but at actually managing to execute my dive in a vaguely reasonable fashion, was something else.  I was just so thrilled that I’d managed to get off the board without belly flopping – a huge personal achievement, and I have plenty of bruises to show where I’ve got it wrong!

The judges were extremely kind and supportive in their critique and I was chuffed to be placed in 2nd place on the leader board – just half a point behind Boyzone’s ‘King of the Budgie Smugglers’ Keith Duffy.

Thanks to you lovely lot, I was put through to compete in the ‘splash off‘ with the delightful Toyah Willcox, where we both had to dive again for a place in the semi-finals.  A bitter sweet moment for us both as Toyah and I are great friends and she really is the most lovely, kind, gracious and gutsy lady I’ve ever met.  To lose to her was tough and I will miss her (and her changing room banter) in training hugely.  I’m now determined to make her proud and pull something pretty spectacular out the bag for the semi’s…watch out Duffy, I’m hot on your heels!

 

I’d like to say a HUGE thank you for all your lovely comments and messages, tweets etc, and of course for picking up the phone and voting me through to the next round.  I am so grateful and appreciative and I promise not to let you down.

I’ve been very fortunate to have some great support from Andy McGlynn and the team over at LSFPT who I’m thrilled to be working alongside this year.  Fitness, nutrition and keeping my mental and physical health in peak condition has been essential for me, particularly with Splash! which challenges both!

 

As it’s a new year, how about a new career opportunity?  So many people feel sluggish and lack motivation or inspiration in these dreary winter months (I know I did), if you need a little bit of both, then how about having a think about a new career in health and fitness?  www.lsfpt.co.uk offers up a fully comprehensive and supported career in personal training.  If you’re an aspiring PT then the support, training and motivation is all there to get you set up.  Alternatively if you’re already a PT and need some support or inspiration, the new LSF-PT Mobile has launched, which is specifically designed for personal trainers who wish to conduct independent or home based work, but would also benefit from the support of the team, who are fab!  Perhaps a family member or a mate needs a bit of a change of direction, well, I’d certainly recommend having a mooch around the website and facebook page www.facebook.com/LSFPT to see what its all about.

Thanks again folks, sending you all love and positivity.  Don’t forget to keep up with my daily goings on via twitter @annawilliamsTV and my weekly Digital Spy showbiz column.

Anna xxx