Gemma Atkinson has been getting herself preened and pampered ahead of Strictly Come Dancing’s first live show on Saturday night.
But unfortunately for the former soap star, she suffered a rather painful mishap while dispatching with her facial hair.
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Taking to Instagram to commiserate with fans, the actress zoomed in on her face and told fans she’d burned her upper lip through waxing.
Sitting on a train to Manchester after a day in London, she lamented: “I had a wax. I waxed my top lip and burned it.”
Zooming the camera right in on her lip and using her finger to point out the painful sore, she added: “I burned my top lip. That will be good for Saturday, won’t it?”
She captioned her post: “Ladies know the struggle is real.”
That was certainly true as dozens responded to Gemma by saying they’ve done the exact same thing themselves and praised her for being so “down to earth” and candid.
One admirer said: “I LOVE how blatant and honest you are! No pretence of the [stuff] us ladies have to go through – you are tops!”
Another added: “You never fail to make me laugh! What a down to earth lass! Wishing you the best of luck in Strictly!”
And a third told Gemma: “You could never look less than gorgeous! But the struggle is real, men have NO idea.”
Others, meanwhile, offered a range of solutions to help numb the pain and clear up the mark for Saturday night.
One advised: “Apple coconut oil, then aloe Vera gel – keep repeating – happened to me a million times.”
Another said: “Just blob some Sudocrem on it! Or even shove some after sun on so it cools the skin down!”
A third wrote: “Cover it in Vaseline and don’t let it dry up and it will heal in a couple of days!”
And a fourth chimed in: “Tea tree cream on it takes the inflammation out.”
Meanwhile, other admirers told Gemma not to worry about the burn as it didn’t affect her gorgeous appearance at all.
One fan gushed: “Nothing can destroy this beauty and beautiful smile.”
A second wrote: “Nightmare!! At least it wasn’t the whole lip! It could’ve been a helluva lot worse! You’ll still look stunning Saturday.”
And a third agreed: “You still look gorgeous and amazing as always.”As Gemma discussed her burn mark with fans, her Strictly co-star Simon Rimmer could be heard giggling in the background as he listened.
The pair were both catching the same train to Manchester on Thursday evening.
It’s already been confirmed that Gemma and her pro partner Aljaz Skorjanec will perform the cha cha cha to Shawn Mendes’ There’s Nothing Holding Me Back during Saturday night’s first live Strictly performance show.
On Friday afternoon they gave an update to fans on Instagram while taking a break in the main Strictly studio.
Aljaz joked: “This is the first time we have danced our dance on the studio floor and it was loads of fun.
“Gemma only went wrong seven times – great job partner!”
The pair have been hard at work at the dance studio with Gemma admitting this week she can remember the dance steps but is struggling to get the “sexy” moves down.
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Aljaz has also said Gemma’s finding it hard to dance in heels.
Meanwhile, the ex Hollyoaks and Emmerdale star said: “I need to perfect all the moves, the technique, the timing and look like I’m not counting or relying on him to keep me steady.
“So there’s loads more to it than me just getting the routine and I’m fully aware of that.”
Good luck, Gemma!