Letitia Dean has had to endure a week of heated rows with her dance partner Darren Bennett after he accused her of letting her recent marriage breakup affect her concentration.

Earlier this week, Bennett stormed out of reheasals shouting: “Take this show seriously or I’m not coming back!” He later returned to fulfil his contractual obligations, but the atmosphere remained tense as the pair practised the tango.

A source told the News of the World: “There was a huge amount of yelling and screaming. There has been for days. But this was their biggest bust-up yet. Darren screamed at Letitia for not taking the competition seriously enough.”

The insider added:

“Letitia is close to breaking point. She’s trying to put a brave face on things but the last few weeks have been hellish for her.”