'Strictly Come Dancing' contestants risk being thrown off the show if they are gripped by stage fright.
![Tess Daly](/image-library/partners/bang/port/1000/t/tess-daly-2bd18db7dd7913cb0ccbdf0bbab07eedc5af031a.jpg)
Tess Daly
Show host Tess Daly was stunned by the level of nerves shown by this year's contestants in the first week of the programme, and revealed there is a "contingency plan" in place if their fears get the better of them.
She said: "I've never seen nerves like it in week one. I thought we were going to have an actual case of stage fright, for which we have a lot of contingency plans.
"If someone is so petrified they literally freeze and can't carry on, we give them a chance to dance again at the end of the show. And if they can't dance then either, they're out of the competition."
Though the 46-year-old star admits presenting the live shows give her "butterflies", she insists her nerves help her performance.
She told Britain's HELLO! magazine: "I love the thrill that anything can happen at any moment.
"It's like riding a wild horse at a rodeo. I love the adrenaline rush.
"I get butterflies - Bruce [Forsyth] used to get butterflies. But it's not debilitating.
"It forces you to be fully present in the moment, in the zone, which is a wonderful place to be."
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