Natalie Gumede fears she will have to quit 'Strictly Come Dancing' due to a back problem.
The former 'Coronation Street' actress - who is the hot favourite to win the BBC One ballroom show - had to miss training yesterday (16.10.13) to go for an MRI scan amid concerns she has slipped a disc after she fell over while rehearsing the quickstep for this Saturday's (19.10.13) show.
Natalie's professional dance partner Artem Chigvintsev said: "We had to finish rehearsal early on Tuesday because of the pain in Natalie's back - if it is serious she might not be able to continue."
The 29-year-old actress - who topped the leaderboard last Saturday night (12.10.13) after winning an incredible 36 points out of a possible 40 for her and Artem's passionate rumba - has been advised by doctors to rest her injury for a few days.
An insider told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "The medical team certainly found some swelling on Natalie's back.
"She's planning to see a consultant and is putting her feet up for a few days.
"Everyone is hoping she will still be able to dance, but it is all hanging in the balance at the moment."
Meanwhile, 'Strictly' overcame its ITV rival 'The X Factor' last Saturday for live TV views with an audience of 9.8 million, compared to the 8.1 million who tuned into the singing show.
However, according to Virgin Media's Hotlist, 'Strictly' lost out to 'X Factor' on Twitter after it drove just 17,000 tweets compared to the singing competition's 176,000.
'X Factor' producers tried to create as much buzz as possible by encouraging viewers to tweet about host Dermot O'Leary's tight trousers resulting in #Dermotstighttrousers trending on the social networking site.
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