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Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Carney has detailed her "challenging" health condition. While appearing on the hit BBC show, the former Lioness must also navigate a spinal condition that makes many of the moves she's required to learn particularly difficult. The 38-year-old has Scheuermann's disease , which has resulted in a curved spine. Despite this, she hasn't allowed it to hinder her performance on the dance floor, remaining determined to enjoy the experience to the fullest. Earlier in the series, judge Motsi Mabuse told Karen to "challenge" her disability, which prompted a strong reaction from viewers. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror before tonight's (November 1) Halloween special, Karen dismissed the limitations of her condition, saying: "I've always remained that I'm happy, I'm healthy, and it's never stopped me from doing what I want to do," reports the Mirror . "I just want to show that I might not be the perfect dancer. I will not have the perfect posture, but I'll certainly give it my best. Dancing is always about joy, it's how much fun you have and how much joy you can bring to the audience. "I think if you can achieve that, that's the whole point." Discussing her condition further, Karen added: "I've had it for years and I coped with it in football. I adapted and found a way. "So it's a challenge for me to adapt and find ways in something that's very unfamiliar to me in the dancing world. But I think we've had some really good advice and really good support to try and make that easier for me and we work on it. "My back is very stiff, mobility-wise it's very restrictive and I'll be open and honest about that." The star went on: "But it doesn't mean I won't try and work on things, it doesn't mean I won't try and help improve my mobility and Carlos has been very, very, very supportive, emotionally as well, to try and help me." In just six weeks, Karen and her professional partner Carlos Gu have impressed viewers and the judges with their performances, even claiming the top spot on the leaderboard with their remarkable Jive in the opening week. "I'm learning more about myself than I have in five or six years, from literally being on this show and understanding certain things about me," Karen explained. "I need to keep working on my confidence and I'm actually a really sensitive soul. I think being in football, I have had to be strong. I have had to put on and be this person because it's a quite hard industry, you have to be strong. "But actually, I'm quite a sensitive soul, and I probably lack a little bit of confidence." Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
