Dani Dyer teases return to Strictly Come Dancing after being cruelly forced out

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With three children aged five and under, Dani Dyer’s days are filled with school and nursery runs , meals, baths and bedtime. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s a juggle,” she tells us. “I’m a million miles an hour, but I feel like the juggle makes me a better parent.”

The former Love Island star, 29, who appeared with her dad Danny on recent Sky series The Dyers’ Caravan Park, is mum to five-year-old Santiago, and twins Summer and Star, who turn three later this month.

“Some mornings it’s too good to be true. We’re all in the car ready, it’s perfect. Other days are just hard, but that’s parenthood,” she says. “Sometimes on social media we can get lost in people’s perfect lives, but everyone’s got their own stuff going on.”

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Thankfully, Dani gets plenty of help from her husband, West Ham and England striker Jarrod Bowen . “We’re a team, he’s amazing,” says Dani.

“He’s such a girl dad, it’s so cute. He sits and brushes their hair before bed. I’ve always loved my dad so much, he’s my best friend, and you can see that dad-daughter thing with Jarrod too. I’m like, ‘They’re gonna want so many Chanel bags, Jarrod, and you’re definitely gonna buy them.’”

While Jarrod, also 29, is dad to the twins, Dani had Santiago with her ex, Sammy Kimmence, back in 2021. But she says, “Jarrod’s amazing with Santi. They spend hours in the garden playing football. Some days he gets home by 2.30pm, so we do pick-ups and dinner together. Then with showers and baths, we both get drenched, but he absolutely loves it.”

Dani adds, “We have my mum nearby, but Jarrod’s family live about four hours away, which is such a shame because his mum is unbelievable. When she stays, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ We have a really good network around us, but on a day-to-day basis, I try to figure it all out.”

Dani and Jarrod tied the knot at the five-star Langley Hotel in Buckinghamshire last June, and the ceremony had a Bridgerton theme. As they approach their first anniversary, Dani says, “We’ll definitely have a little night away somewhere. We’ve got to celebrate our first year.”

Looking back on their big day, she says, “If I could, I’d do it all again. It really was the best day of my life. Nothing has felt different since getting married, but ‘my husband’ still sounds so strange.”

The pair always make time for each other, but Dani likes to keep things simple. “My ideal night is having a Chinese, watching telly, getting my PJs on after a shower, when your hair’s all clean. That’s my idea of heaven.”

Dani says the kids are rapidly developing their own personalities. “Santi is such a mummy’s boy. He wants cuddles all the time. I’ll come downstairs and he’ll say, ‘Oh Mummy, you look so beautiful.’”

Santi is already protective of his two sisters too. Dani says, “The twins are crazy. They’re so funny. He adores them, but it really is double the love, double the trouble. What’s nice is how they’re growing up together. They’ll always have a mate.”

But while Summer and Star have a “real twin bond”, there are plenty of sisterly squabbles. “Oh yeah, they argue – usually over a Barbie. But at nursery they never fight with other children, just each other.”

The girls already have a strong sense of style.

“They love a princess dress and are really into Frozen. It’s all about Elsa and Anna, and they love singing and dancing.”

But Summer isn’t so keen on West Ham’s claret and blue football strip. “If I put the little top and shorts on her, she’ll say, “No, I want my princess dress.’”

There were smiles all round when Dani took the kids to the UK’s first ever PAW Patrol-themed land at Chessington World of Adventures recently. On the day, they met real-life assistance dogs and learnt about the life-changing impact they have on families.

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“It was incredible,” Dani says. “The kids loved it. And it made so much sense – the PAW Patrol dogs are there to save the day. It’s magical when you give your children such a good day.”

Dani is currently filming a second series of The Dyers’ Caravan Park with dad Danny, who’s also reprising his role as tycoon Freddie Jones in Disney+ show Rivals.

“It’s been amazing. Everyone loves Fred-Fred, don’t they?” says Dani proudly. “I feel like people have really recognised him as an actor, and he deserves it. He’s killing it in life at the minute.”

As for what kind of granddad Danny makes, she says, “He’s the softest person. He’s so sweet, and the best storyteller. It must be the actor in him.”

Dani, who triumphed on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in January, was forced to pull out of Strictly last year when she fractured her ankle. Asked if she would return this year, she says, “It’s up to them. It’s a magical thing to do, so we’ll have to see when they start casting. But yeah absolutely – who could say no to Strictly?”

With West Ham caught in a Premier League relegation battle, there may be a little tension in the Dyer-Bowen household in the coming days.

“Jarrod is a really positive person,” says Dani. “He’s so chilled and he absolutely loves West Ham. It’s been a very tough season, but I’ve got my angel cards and we’ve got some lovely crystals in the house, so fingers crossed we stay up.”

Looking further ahead, Dani celebrates her 30th birthday in August. “I planned a wedding last year and there was so much to do. I’m like, ‘Do I need something as big as that?’ I don’t know, but it’s already May so I need to make a start.”

She’s excited about the next decade. “Your twenties are building blocks, when you really grow as a person. I’m so happy to have had my babies and be married. I’m where I want to be.”

While she’s previously ruled out more children, she says she might change her mind. “I love being around newborns. It’s like seeing a puppy – ‘Oh my God, I want a dog.’ Right now, I’m okay but ask me again in five years.”