Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Pasha Kovalev has vowed to take better care of himself after a health check-up revealed he needed to make some changes to his lifestyle and diet.
TV Paige Ingram, Samantha Masters Content Editor and Nicola Croal TV and showbiz reporter 08:38, 25 Mar 2025
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Pasha Kovalev has opened up about revamping his daily habits following a "quick, easy and stress-free" health check-up.
Embracing his doctor's advice, he's embarked on a "strict" regime to enhance his wellbeing.
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Speaking as part of Bupa's Knowledge Is Power campaign, the 45-year-old BBC dancer shared: "I didn't know what to expect, there is nothing wrong with me, which is very good. But, there are little things that you have to pay attention to, and it's little things that you don't really think about."
Even though no serious issues were discovered during his assessment, Pasha realised the importance of minor changes to his lifestyle and diet, the Mirror reports.
His medical guidance included getting more sleep and reducing high cholesterol levels to prevent potential health problems.
His LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol isn't strikingly high, but taking preventative steps, Pasha has adopted a "strict" approach to his routine.
He revealed: "I've definitely changed my sleep pattern and I've started going to bed a bit earlier," alongside significant reductions in his carbohydrate intake and a push for greater consistency in exercising.
The NHS advocates for a healthy diet and increased physical exercise as methods to decrease LDL cholesterol levels, cautioning that too much of this "bad" cholesterol can block arteries, raising the chances of heart complications or stroke.
Top doctors suggest that the key to maintaining good eye health lies in a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, oily fish, wholegrains, and nuts and seeds. However, they also recommend cutting back on indulgent foods high in unhealthy fats and sugars, such as fatty meats, cakes, cream, and hard cheeses like cheddar.
Strictly's Pasha Kovalev, known for his svelte physique, has willingly put his health under scrutiny for the sake of his growing family with Countdown's Rachel Riley.
The dance star admitted: "I've never done a proper check and I'm at the age where I've got family growing up, I'm not getting younger, and I thought it's the right time to start monitoring actually what is going on inside.
"You might feel good, but there can be things that happen underneath and then if you can catch them straight away you might be [thankful] later," Pasha emphasised the importance of staying ahead of any potential health issues.
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Pasha's commitment to fatherhood led him to retire from Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, opting for nappy changes over the samba after eight sparkling years. Despite his friend Aljaz Skorjanec returning to the stage after a brief hiatus, Pasha isn't lured to return.
The television personality said: "To be honest, I'm not planning on going back to Strictly, I am happy where I am," and went onto say that "I had an amazing time on Strictly, I won it once which is amazing, but once you start having a family, my priorities changed a little bit. I just wasn't ready to divide my attention between family and Strictly, so something had to go."
