Prince Harry made a surprise appearance on “Strictly Come Dancing,” the British version of “Dancing With The Stars,” to cheer on fellow British military veteran JJ Chalmers, one of the show’s contestants this season. This was one of Harry’s first public appearances in the United Kingdom since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals earlier this year.
Fox News reported that Harry called into one of Chalmers’ training sessions with partner Amy Dowden via video chat to congratulate him on how well he’s doing and to lightly tease his old friend a bit.
“Nice tan JJ!” Harry joked on the call.
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Chalmers has gone through his fair share of hardship while serving his country. During his time in the elite Royal Marines in Afghanistan, he suffered life-threatening injuries to his arms, face and legs. Chalmers also had to recover from a broken neck and burst eardrums after an IED detonated near him while he was on patrol.
Chalmers met Harry when he volunteered for the royal’s Invictus Games, which is an international sports competition for wounded military personnel and veterans. Not only would he go on to win three medals, he would also form a strong bond with Harry.
“When I first met JJ, he was a shell of himself,” Harry said during his “Strictly” appearance. “But then to see you shine through Invictus and to become like yourself again — that was Britain’s amazing journey.”
Chalmers responded by saying that his life would be very different, were it not for Harry.
“The simple fact is, if Prince Harry had not created the Invictus Games I would not have had that catalyst moment that changed my life forever,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here without him.”
“You know that your vision going into the games was to take this cohort of individuals and send them off so that they could have an impact on society,” Chalmers added.
Harry replied by teasingly saying, “You’re definitely having an impact on society now. Especially when you’re wearing those tight blue shorts!”
After this pep talk from Harry, Chalmers took the stage in a version of his Royal Marines uniform, which the military gave him permission to wear, to perform a dance to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tc9Pg3ztA0&feature=emb_title
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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