Prince Harry Calls Strictly To Say He Is 'Proud' Of JJ Chalmers

The Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance in Strictly Come Dancing to say how proud he is of former Royal Marine JJ Chalmers.

Mr Chalmers, a TV presenter and veteran, was injured by a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2011 and previously competed in the Invictus Games, which Prince Harry founded.

Mr Chalmers and partner Amy Dowden received the call while they were training.

Harry said: "When I first met JJ he was a shell of himself, but then to see you shine through Invictus and to feel like yourself again, that was a start of an amazing journey."

The prince said he is "genuinely proud" of Mr Chalmers, adding: "You are not a dancer – proving that you can actually do anything that you can put your mind to, which is amazing."

When discussing Mr Chalmers' training outfit, Harry also told him he was "definitely having an impact on society, especially when [he is] wearing those tight blue shorts".

Mr Chalmers praised the role of the Invictus Games in helping him recover from his injuries, and said he "wouldn’t be here" without Harry.

"The simple fact is that if Prince Harry had not created the Invictus Games, I would not have had that catalyst moment that changed my life forever," Mr Chalmers said.

The call was broadcast during a high-scoring programme in which three of the couples received at least one perfect score of 10 from a judge.

But the programme ended in disappointment for Mr Chalmers and Ms Dowden, who were bottom of the leaderboard after scoring just 17 points.

Mr Chalmers, who performed in military uniform, said he wanted to represent the Armed Forces during the performance.

"I'm having the time of my life, regardless of what happens," he said.

Cover image: JJ Chalmers and Prince Harry in 2016 (Picture: PA).