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Linda Sällström dreads her ballroom debut: “As long as I don't faint or throw up”

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Former Finland football international Linda Sällström is preparing for her debut on Dancing with the Stars despite having little previous dance experience.
  • She trains four hours each weekday with professional dancer Valtteri Palini before the first live elimination competition.
  • Sällström says moving smoothly, standing and walking correctly are among her biggest challenges.

Linda Sällström has played in front of tens of thousands of football fans, but the former Finland international is nervous about her first live Dancing with the Stars performance.

The goal is for Jorma Uotinen to say at least once: Not bad.

· Linda SällströmShe described her modest ambition for the television dance competition.

Her goal is modest: she wants longtime judge Jorma Uotinen to say “Not bad” at least once. The phrase is one of Uotinen's familiar low-voiced expressions, and Sällström knows the praise does not come easily.

The 38-year-old had only just started training when she spoke in August. Her previous dance experience amounted mainly to school dances two decades ago and dancing in the football changing room last season. Even that, she joked, apparently went wrong and off the beat.

How difficult it is even to stand or walk correctly!

· Linda SällströmShe discussed the unexpected difficulty of learning basic dance posture and movement.

Sällström said she had not realized how difficult basic movements could be. “How difficult it is even to stand or walk correctly!” she said, especially pointing to the challenge of straightening her knees properly. She practices four hours every weekday with her professional partner, Valtteri Palini, while the weekends bring the competition itself.

As long as I don't faint or throw up on stage, we'll already be on the winning side.

· Linda SällströmSällström joked about her nerves before her first live performance.

She expects to experience every emotion when the lights, floor and judges become part of the performance. “As long as I don't faint or throw up on stage, we'll already be on the winning side,” she said, laughing. Sällström ended her elite football career after last season and accepted the dance challenge after deciding she wanted to try something completely different.

I believe I am the harshest judge of myself. The dance judges do not make me nervous at all.

· Linda SällströmShe compared judging in the dance show with the pressure she faced during her football career.
About this summary

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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