Karen Carney has revealed details of her frank discussion with Strictly Come Dancing partner Carlos Gu. The duo, set to dance a paso doble during Saturday night's Blackpool special, have developed a close friendship during the series, despite the former England women's footballer acknowledging they couldn't be more different.

An additional obstacle for Carney has been Scheuermann's disease, a rare spinal condition causing curvature that makes maintaining proper posture particularly challenging - a crucial element of ballroom dancing.

The football pundit has left Gu deeply moved, with the professional dancer becoming emotional during last weekend's programme after their American Smooth performance received glowing feedback from the judging panel.

"She worked so hard this week," he said. "I know ballroom is not her strength but she came into the ballroom and said, 'Carlos, I really want to try hard, but I know my back has problems and I really wanna try.'

"Hearing the judges say that," he said, tearing up. "You have no idea how hard she's been working."

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Carney feels fortunate to have been matched with Gu as the partnership has taken her out of her comfort zone. She told The Athletic: "I couldn't have been paired with someone more opposite to me.

"We were honest about that at the start, but it's a dream pairing because he's exactly what I need. My aim was to grow my confidence and show a different side to myself. Carlos is the only person in the cast I believe could do that for me.

"I can't hide behind football. I have to dive into his world and he makes me step out of my comfort zone, in a safe way. And that's where you really grow as a person."

Speaking about her physical difficulties, Carney revealed on the It Takes Two programme: "It's a real physical challenge. Like, it's really, really hard. I have a posture aid."

Gu explained: "Her spine is curved in, so she can't fully open, not with her shoulder but her spine."

Saturday's live performance at the iconic Tower Ballroom will kick off with a medley from pop group Steps, joined by the Strictly professional dancers, celebrities and the four judges.

Other performers include Doctor Who star Alex Kingston and dance partner Johannes Radebe, who will perform their couple's choice routine to History Repeating and Look At Me by Propellerheads featuring Dame Shirley Bassey and Geri Halliwell-Horner.

Meanwhile, social media personality George Clarke and Alexis Warr will salsa to Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now) by Bob Sinclair. Soap star Lewis Cope and Katya Jones will perform the Charleston to I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor by the Arctic Monkeys. Reality television star Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin will also take to the floor for a quickstep to Reach by S Club 7.