'Strictly' Healey: 'We are all improving'

Austin Healey has said he thinks all this year's Strictly Come Dancing competitors are getting better as the show progresses.

The former rugby player has been hailed as the man to beat by the judges, but he remarked that there is still plenty of stiff competition.

"When you watch everyone week-by-week in rehearsals, you can see everyone is getting better," he told Claudia Winkleman on BBC Two spinoff It Takes Two.

Healey revealed that he is confident about tomorrow's Quickstep because the routine reminds him of a training programme he employed during his rugby days.

"Part of the dance is very similar to some of the footwork drills I was doing when I was playing rugby," he said, adding that the routine is his "favourite so far by miles".

Meanwhile, partner Erin Boag praised his ability to master the new steps, saying: "It's been a great week. It's full of choreography and no fluff. He picked it up so fast."