Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman is now on two sets of painkillers due to her sustaining a torn cartilage on Strictly Come Dancing.

The injury came about when her over-enthusiastic dancing partner, Paul Killick, a big name in the Latin dance world, flung her backwards during their rumba routine.

Carol stoically hid the injury during the rest of the show, despite fearing that she had broken a rib.

Carol told the Daily Mail: "My side is swollen and the doctor says I have a torn cartilage beside the rib.

"I have two sets of strong painkillers and I've been told to go straight to casualty if there's shortness of breath.

"Paul's nickname is `The Killer' and now I know why.

"On Saturday night we really went for it - right at the end, during the finale of our dance, Paul leant me back and I suddenly felt a terrible pain below my shoulder blade on my right side.

"I had to hold that pose and still smile."

Julian Clary, Esther Rantzen, Aled Jones, EastEnders' Jill Halfpenny, gardener Diarmuid Gavin, Casualty star Sarah Manners and athletes Roger Black and Denise Lewis are still competing in the show.