'I'm proof lack of sight won't hold Chris back as a dancer'

NEVE Allen understands better than anyone the challenges comedian Chris McCausland faces as the first visually impaired contestant on Strictly.

- Matthew Barbour

The student, 18, was born with a range of major eye conditions and has been dancing since she was three.

Three months premature, she weighed just 2lbs 12.5oz, and her parents were told their daughter would be seriously visually impaired for life.

She underwent surgery to reattach her retinas before her parents Helen and Andy could take her home.

With ongoing support from the charity Guide Dogs, Neve started mainstream education, got her first cane at eight and joined dance lessons at a local studio.

Neve said: “Mum always loved dancing, and she just wouldn’t be told my visual impairment meant I should be kept safe at home. She knew the joy I’d get from dancing – although at the start there was a lot of running into things and falling over!