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Age: 23
From: North West London
Occupation: policy advisor at the Department of Community and Local Government in the Civil Service
Celebrity Dance Partner: Kevin Sacre

With Italian and Jamaican roots, 23-year-old Simone Milani has always felt dance and rhythm as part of her lifeblood.

At the age of eight, she suffered a haemorrhage in her lower spine while on holiday and since then has had no use of her legs. Simone suffers from AVM (arterio-venous-malformation) in her lower spine which means her veins and arteries run into each other and her neuro impulses get blocked. But despite being in a wheelchair the passion she feels for dance has never left her.

With a First Class degree from Cambridge University to add to her list of achievements, Simone's favourite hobby remains dance. She is always the first to brave the dance floor, moving to the music and always astounding people. She loves the passion in South American, Caribbean and West African dance music as well as hip hop, R'n'B and funky house.

Simone is keen to break down archetypal images and ideas of both the boundaries and possibilities of dance, especially for people with disabilities.

Simone says: "Dancing and music have always been a massive part of my life and I feel really comfortable about dancing in a wheelchair. I want to make my friends and family proud – they won't be afraid to tell me if I'm rubbish!"

Simone is dancing with Hollyoaks actor Kevin Sacre. Kevin started his career at the Royal Shakespeare Company and went on to play Jake Dean in Hollyoaks in 2003. He met his now fiancée, professional dancer Camilla Dallerup, when they were partners on Strictly Come Dancing.