Denise Van Outen swaps ballroom for brawl-room in Strictly punch-up

Strictly Come Dancing star Denise Van Outen swaps ballroom for brawl-room as she lands a playful punch on partner James Jordan.

The pair locked horns after jokingly squabbling over the past few weeks as they rehearsed ahead of the series returning on BBC1 tonight.

Jordan has become known for his forthright views on the show and his hardline approach to training, but Van Outen appeared to be having none of it as she gave him a friendly wallop on the cheek.

Over the past few weeks, the pair have been sparring on Twitter with Van Outen joking that she would have preferred to be partnered by Brendan Cole, who is dancing with Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton.

And yesterday she joked that Jordan's highlights made him look like Dollar singer David Van Day.

The pair are practising their waltz for when the series kicks off on BBC1 tonight at 9pm with the first competitive live show, as half the couples head on to the dancefloor.

The remainder will appear tomorrow and they will be marked for their dances the following weekend.

PA