Desperate Housewives star James Denton has admitted that he was afraid of being sacked from the show after his first on-screen kiss with Teri Hatcher.

Denton, who plays plumber Mike Delfino, became worried when Hatcher was stiff and uncomfortable in his arms during a romantic scene.

It was only later that James discovered that Teri had broken her rib an hour earlier and was in severe pain.

He told The Mirror, "I thought, 'If we don't have chemistry, I'm a dead man.' Selfishly, I was glad she had a broken rib."