Laura Whitmore's dog has been inspiring her 'Strictly Come Dancing' training.
Laura Whitmore and Giovanni Pernice
The 31-year-old presenter has been working hard with partner Giovanni Pernice and she brought her beloved pooch Mick to rehearsals in the hope her "hyper" pet would drive up her own energy levels.
She said: "This week it was time for the QuickStep and you guessed it it involves a lot of VERY quick steps and 'Ballroom Blitz' is a fast paced song.
"I've never worked on a TV show with so many emotions, honestly more ups and downs than a pair of kangaroos in mating season (Red Dwarf' reference for any geeks out there).
"This week I threw myself completely into training. The bruises from the lifts last week had healed and I was ready to fight/dance another day.
"Mick my little dog has been joining us in studio too. This week I need stamina, and no better living being to turn to for inspiration that my hyper pooch!"
Laura has grown very close to her fellow 'Strictly' contestants as the weeks have progressed and their bond is now more than that of just colleagues.
She wrote in her weekly blog for Glamour online: "Each week is getting harder and I just wanted to talk about how bloody awesome all the cast are this year. It's such a diverse bunch of folk - And we've all grown really close.
"The WhatsApp group has also been very active this week.
"We started off all being very professional in our chats but now there are rude jokes and videos flying around. I couldn't even possibly repeat what's been said!"
After Ore Oduba scored the first 10s of the series for his jive last week, Laura is feeling the pressure for this weekend as she's doing the same dance.
She said: "I'm so proud of everyone and how far they've come. Ore scored the first tens of the series. His jive was brilliant! And he is the sweetest guy...
"I was delighted to get my personal highest score for my quickstep with Gio, and scored 33. It's still building blocks and so thankful to be here another week to take on the next challenge... The Jive! No pressure (thanks Ore!)"
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