STRICTLY Come Dancing star Tyler West has dedicated his time on Strictly to his NHS "hero" mum.

The Kiss FM star, 26 – who is partnered with Aussie professional Dianne Buswell- is one of the favourites to win this year's show.

Today the DJ gave a shout out to his beloved mother Debbie, as he gets ready to take to the dancefloor tonight.

Tyler also said he wanted to make her "dream" of meeting professional dancer Graziano Di Prima come true.

Speaking to The Mirror he said: "My whole Strictly experience is pretty much a dedication to my mum because there were times when we were younger where we didn't have it easy.' 

Tyler explained he was brought up by his mother on a council estate in Croydon, South London, after his father walked out when he and his brother Lewis, 31, were kids.

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He said "So for me to be out there on a Saturday night and having my mum come and watch the show and seeing her face light up and being able to support her in every way possible, it's everything I could have ever asked for.'

Debbie worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, with Tyler adding: "My mum would tell me how hard it was on the front line. It was a massive eye-opener but she's a hero for what she's done."

Meanwhile, yesterday Tyler opened up to The Sun about his biggest challenge on Strictly.

The radio DJ said his busy work schedule was initially clashing with his gruelling training sessions. with pro partner Dianne.

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But he has now dedicated his time to the show and is putting in the hours to secure a place in the final, with Tyler convinced he has "all the ingredients" to win the show.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun at the KISS FM Haunted House party, Tyler said: "My schedule didn't help me out at the start of the process, that didn't help me at all.

"So, the most difficult thing has been my time management and finding the hours.

"But we have found the hours and we're really happy we can dedicate to it – it's different challenges each week."

Tyler praised his pro partner for lifting his mood when he's feeling exhausted during training.

"Dianne is like a whole energy in itself, imagine going to work and being like 'oh I can't be bothered for this today', but Dianne is an extra added energy to the room, and I just come alive, she's wicked," he said.

Dianne echoed: "The same for Tyler, our energies bounce off each other.

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"If one of us is a little bit tired, the other one gives a boost and vice versa."

• Strictly continues tonight at 7pm on BBC One.

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