Strictly's Toyah Willcox 'in and out of hospital for 10 years' after being born with multiple health conditions

The singer has had several different surgeries and even had to learn how to walk again

Strictly Come Dancing star Toyah Willcox spent first 10 years of her life in and out of hospital after being born with several health conditions. The legendary Brummie singer was born with a congenital spinal disorder, deformed intestines, shallow hip sockets and uneven leg length.

Toyah, 66, who was born in King's Heath, revealed she had been sterilised before she was 30 due to her conditions. She was forced to sit her O-levels a year late after having corrective surgery on her feet.

She later underwent another corrective surgery on her legs aged 51 and had to covercome the challenge of having to relearn walking. She revealed it had taken her two months to walk again.

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Toyah previously said in an interview on 'In The Psychiatrist's Chair' for BBC Radio 4: "I was very ill, and I was advised [to be sterilised]. Part of the things I was born with and I’ve got no idea what it was means - I have deformed intestines so I had a block in the intestines and it was pushing the womb out and causing severe infection in the ovaries

"The doctor said "well, we’ve got to clean your intestine out and we also advice that you’re sterilised because you’ve stated quite strongly that you don’t want children and it would protect the ovaries." She added: "I was very very poorly. It took quite a few years to get over it."

Talking about her surgery later in life, Toyah said: "When I was 51 because I was born with one leg just under 2 inches longer than the other, I had corrective surgery to make my legs the same length, but then I had to learn to walk again."

Toyah also underwent a hip replacement as her right hip, which was merely being supported by cartilage and muscle, had become inflamed leading to difficulties walking before the surgery. She said: "I've had a titanium hip replacement and my leg shortened, so now it's the same size as the other one. I no longer have to wear special shoes."

Furthermore, in a conversation with the Daily Mail the same year, Toyah said: "In the past two years my right hip became a nightmare so I had a replacement. I had to use crutches and learn to walk again, but it transformed my life."

During a 2011 interview, the artist hinted that she was enjoying "full mobility for the first time ever" post-surgery. But Toyah revealed the conditions have already had an impact on her Strictly Come Dancing moves, saying about her first dance the Tango: "You have to twist your body - it's all about pivoting, which is something I've avoided for about 30 years.

"Obviously, there's gonna be moves you [her partner Neil Jones] give me that my body is just gonna go 'stop now'."