Strictly Come Dancing star Dame Sarah Storey has admitted that emotions are running high as she prepares for Icons Week, confessing to tears during what she described as a 'rollercoaster' day of rehearsals.
The Paralympian, 48, is one of 13 celebrities taking part in the BBC show alongside her professional partner Julian Caillon. Last Saturday (October 10), the pair tackled the Paso Doble and received a combined score of 20 from the judges, placing them towards the bottom of the leaderboard alongside Lawrence Robb and John Nellis.
Tears during Tango rehearsals
Sarah and Julian are scheduled to perform a Tango to Shania Twain's track That Don't Impress Me Much. However, preparations have not been progressing as seamlessly as hoped, after the athlete posted a glimpse of their rehearsals on social media.
In an Instagram story shared with her followers, the 48-year-old was captured frowning as she gazed into a mirror, reports Wales Online. She captioned the image: "Big fat Tango tears almost taking me down today. Typical that the words of the song I was making all the mistakes in were 'that don't impress me much' (No one said becoming an Icon was going to be easy though)."
A better place by the end of the day
Yet, it seems circumstances improved for the athlete, as she subsequently shared a video from her Strictly partner's account in which they discussed the 'rollercoaster' of a day they had experienced.
Sarah continued, "Thankfully, we finished the day in a much better place. I'm so grateful to Julian Caillon for being prepared to work late and keep going over and over everything until it sinks in."
Audiences will need to tune in on Saturday evening to discover how Sarah fares on the dance floor and whether she can deliver enough to steer clear of the dreaded dance-off.
Delta Goodrem withdraws due to injury
However, one star notably absent this weekend is Delta Goodrem. The Australian singer has been compelled to withdraw from the programme for a week after sustaining a rib injury. In an official statement, she described it as 'heartbreaking' to be forced to sit out.
She wrote: "I'm absolutely gutted that a rib injury means I won't be able to dance on Strictly this week. I've been loving every second of this experience, so having to sit this out is heartbreaking- especially after the height of Saturday night.
"I can not tell you how much I love being a part of this magical show. I'm going to focus on resting and recovering, and hopefully, I'll be back on that dancefloor very soon.
"Thank you so much to everyone for all the love and support. It's so appreciated. I'll be cheering everyone on from the sidelines this week. Sending all my love, Delta xx."
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One from 6:15pm.
