Ruth’s paso nerves have reduced her to tears

STRICTLY Come Dancing outsider Ruth Langsford is so petrified about tonight’s paso doble it has reduced her to tears.

This Morning hostess Ruth, 57, and her professional partner Anton du Beke are the favourites to be booted off the show.

Bookmakers make the couple an odds on 4/7 shot to be eliminated tomorrow night. And tackling the rhythmic Spanish dance has done nothing for Ruth’s pre-show nerves.

She said: “Anton said to me ‘you have to know how to do the dance on your own and not just hang on to me’, which is what I do most weeks. So he made me do it all on my own and I was really rubbish. He was watching me and I started to cry and I couldn’t stop crying and it all got a little bit awkward. I had proper tears.”

Tonight Ruth and Anton, 51, will attempt a Paso to The Shady Dame From Seville by Julie Andrews as the competition reaches week seven.

Speaking about Ruth’s tearful training session earlier in the week Anton joked: “It was only me watching ... not 11 million people.”

He added: “You know what Shirley [Ballas] said? No room for mistakes in week seven.”

Meanwhile, rivals Alexandra Burke and Gemma Atkinson will do battle in the ballroom as rumours intensify over the Emmerdale actress’s relationship with Gorka Marquez.

Former X Factor winner Alexandra, 29, is worried her professional partner Gorka, 27, has taken his eye off the glitter ball by forging a close friendship with Manchester-born Gemma, 32, and has had “full-blown screaming matches” with the Spaniard.

Before the series started Gemma, a former glamour model and Emmerdale actress, told the Daily Express she hoped the so-called Strictly curse would strike her because she was fed up being on her own.

She said: “I’ve been single for ages so there won’t be any curse for me ... it would be a blessing!”

Gemma, whose partner is Slovenian hunk Aljaz Skorjanec, 27, is now said to have finally found love, with a show source adding: “Gorka and Gemma are together. It’s the talk of the make-up room.”

Come Dancing is tonight at 6.50pm on BBC One