Foot injury could force Kate Garraway to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing hopeful Kate Garraway could be forced to pull out of the TV contest after suffering a crippling foot injury.

The GMTV presenter has already stopped rehearsals for the show after her gruelling routines gave her tendonitis, where the tendons become inflamed and sore.

She has been reduced to using crutches and is on doctor's orders to rest her swollen, tender feet just days before the programme kicks off on Saturday.

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Now there are fears she could be unable to compete in the dance contest alongside the likes of Penny Lancaster, Kelly Brook, Alesha Dixon and Letitia Dean.

Mother-of-one Miss Garraway, 39, said in her column in this week's New magazine: "I am in so much pain. My feet just feel battered. I am really struggling.

"When people told me it would be hard I thought: 'Get out of it - I have given birth. Strictly Come Dancing is just poncing about in a dress.

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A source from the show: "At the moment it is 50-50. Her feet are hurting like hell. She has been going to a specialist to try to sort it out.

"Her tendonitis has simply been caused by jumping up and down with heels on while doing the foxtrot.

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"She has been resting all weekend and has compression stockings strapped onto both feet, which she is meant to keep up.

"She has never danced before and never done so much as a salsa class so she has gone from nought to 100 miles an hour in a fortnight.

"While training she was still working seven hours a day - but as it involved a lot of sitting down her fitness levels were not high.

"Kate is fairly competitive but does not want to humiliate herself. She really would be devastated if she was prevented from starting because of the injury.'

Tendonitis is caused when a person suddenly embarks on an exercise regime and overuses tendons.

Miss Garraway had been cramming in a full day at work, leaving home at 2.30am to present from the GMTV sofa before spending hours in a dance studio from midday, skipping lunch to cover more ground.

With just a banana and cups of tea fuelling her, she would then dash home in time to play with her 18-month-old daughter Darcey before putting her to bed.

The strenuous routine took its toll with Miss Garraway suffering a severe bout of food poisoning a fortnight ago.

Then last Friday she had to pull out of rehearsals with swollen feet and rest on doctors' orders.

She said she was relying on her family and her husband, 38-year-old psychotherapist Derek Draper, to hold up 'the home front.'

Miss Garraway added she still hoped to take part: "Fortunately I have until October 13 to get better as the boys perform this week and the girls the week after.

"I am determined to get better. I have told Strictly's producers I do not care how bad it is. I will do the show on crutches if I have to."