Fabrice Muamba to appear in Strictly Come Dancing special The Zaire-born player, who recently married Shauna Magunda, was technically dead for 78 minutes but was brought back after repeated shocks from a defibrillator, which made his heart beat again. He has since retired from football, although he has been allowed to take part in short kickabouts, including one with a group of youngsters for Children In Need. He has been fitted with a pacemaker to help regulate his heartbeat. Muamba - who came to the UK at the age of 11 - will dance with Aliona Vilani who made an early exit from this year's competition through a damaged ankle while her partner Johnny Ball was voted out during her absence. A show insider said: "This booking comes on the back of our most successful series ever." Muamba told the Daily Mail that practice sessions for Strictly were "the hardest thing I've done since my recovery" from his heart attack. He said: "I'm feeling good now. I've already been training with Aliona for a week and there are no complaints. The full line-up for the special is due to be confirmed in around a week.