Strictly Come Dancing contestant Rachel Riley has revealed that taking part in the show is not as easy as it looks.
The Countdown maths whiz - who performed a quickstep with partner Pasha Kovalev on Saturday night's show - told The Sun that the gruelling rehearsals for the show have left her in constant pain.
“I’ve been battered and bruised from the lifts during salsa week and they caught up with me," she explained.
“My ribs have got to the point where it still hurts and will probably hurt for the rest of the series. They are bruised internally.
She added: “Every dance, I have to hold my core and it hurts, so you have to push through. I’ve not cried yet.
However she admitted that the training has had a positive effect, saying: "I don't recognise my body.
"My husband has noticed I have a core now. He is really sporty — he goes to the gym and has an eight-pack, so seeing me do that has made him shocked.”
Rachel scored a mixed response for her efforts on Saturday, with Bruno Tonioli telling her: "There was plenty of content but what you need is control."
Meanwhile Len Goodman added: "The quantity of steps were there, but not the quality of steps...as it went on you lost your posture."
This weekend's Strictly results show will be screened at 7.15pm on BBC One on Sunday night.
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