'Strictly' Johnny Ball's new partner Iveta Lukosiute: 'He's amazing'

Strictly Come Dancing professional Iveta Lukosiute has praised her celebrity partner Johnny Ball.

The Lithuanian star was drafted in to partner the TV presenter earlier this week after Aliona Vilani suffered a serious ankle injury.



Lukosiute - who appeared on last year's So You Think You Can Dance? in the US - recalled how she became involved in the BBC show after receiving a surprise phone call.

"I was getting ready for work and I received a phone call from the producers, and they asked me, 'What am I doing this week?'" she told BBC Breakfast.

"I was like, 'Yes I can do this, how soon?' [They said,] 'In two days'. [I replied,] 'OK, let's do this!'"

Copyright: Twitter Denise Van Outen

She added that she had no idea who she was dancing with at first, but soon researched Johnny Ball's career and was pleased to meet him.

"After the first phone call, I didn't know who I was going to dance with or what had happened," she explained.

"I haven't seen his shows in Lithuania, but I've seen lots of things he's done [since] and I've read all about him and I think he's amazing."

Ball also dismissed claims that he injured Vilani's ankle, saying: "I was static when it happened, so the papers stating I broke her leg are ludicrous."

Strictly Come Dancing starts tonight (Friday, October 5) at 9pm on BBC One.