A mum from Uxbridge dazzled millions of Strictly viewers with her dance moves this week.

Anna Kennedy's story featured on the second episode of the special Comic Relief series, The People's Strictly, on BBC 1 on Wednesday evening (March 4) and another is due to air on Thursday.

The episode showed the 54-year-old mum of two autistic boys talking about living with children on the spectrum and how it impacts your life.

She was chosen to feature on the show because of her work setting up schools and supporting people autism.

She said: “After watching that episode I sobbed for two or three minutes. That’s not like me at all. To me, living with autism is everyday life so maybe this brought things home.”

She said she has received amazing feedback in the few hours since her appearance, with viewers praising her true, honest and accurate account of what it is like living with someone on the spectrum.

Mrs Kennedy said: “It’s provided me with that platform I need to raise more awareness for autism.”

Anna Kennedy and Robin Windsor

She will be dancing the Charleston with Robin Windsor and her mentor is Jake Wood, who plays EastEnders’ Max Branning and is a former Strictly contestant.

Wednesday’s show also included Mrs Kennedy’s big reveal - where she finds out she has been chosen for the Red Nose Day shows.

The Strictly fanatic was in the audience in November, watching a live show being filmed, when her face was projected onto the ballroom floor and her name appeared in lights.

Recalling that moment, she told getwestlondon: “We’ve been applying to see the show for years but never got them and then my sister told me we had won two tickets.

“I didn’t see my face on the floor or my name in lights. The first I knew of it was when my sister poked me!

“Next thing I know Jake Wood is standing beside me holding my hand saying he’s going to be my mentor. Then I was standing in the middle of the floor with 800 people looking at me.

“I was trying to process all the information. I was in shock but then I was really ecstatic because I was going to me on my favourite show.”

Mrs Kennedy was awarded an OBE for services to special needs education in 2012.

See Mrs Kennedy on the next episode of The People’s Strictly, on Thursday night at 9pm on BBC 1.