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Ariana DeBose has had a busy year. In February, the actress was a performer at the BAFTA awards, resulting in one of the most discussed moments of the year: her BAFTA rap. In an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show on Christmas Eve, DeBose revealed that she almost couldn’t make it to the show due to a health scare.
Ross introduced the topic by revealing that there was a behind the scenes moment that audience members weren’t privy to. “Yeah, I was kind of recovering from walking pneumonia,” said DeBose, playing it down. “I kind of was [very ill], but I’m a theater kid,” she said. “‘The show must go on’ sort of thing. We’d gone down the road for so long that I didn’t have the heart to back out. And I’d been deemed well enough to continue to work.”
DeBose made it clear that it was all done very responsibly with the intent of keeping everyone safe but that in the end she really wanted to be a part of the show and to support the industry. Still, if the opportunity were to arise again, DeBose might think twice before getting on the stage to perform while still in recovery. “Hindsight is 20-20 and maybe recovering from walking pneumonia is not the time to be in six inch heels and in a big fat pink skirt and jump off a chair and try and rap at the same time,” she said.
Ariana DeBose’s BAFTA performance
Ariana DeBose’s BAFTA performance was a bit controversial at the time of its release, being a poppy and fresh rap medley hosted at one of the stuffiest awards shows around. When speaking about her performance, DeBose revealed that she was reached out to by the BAFTAs who wanted something fresh and different. “That was the assignment. Like, ‘Come celebrate women,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ We did that and it was fun. Not gonna lie, I had a blast,” she said.