Denise Van Outen suffers neck injury during Strictly rehearsal

Denise Van Outen, one of this year's celebrity contestants in BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing. (PA)

Denise Van Outen has had to put rehearsals on hold for Strictly Come Dancing after damaging her neck.

The actress and presenter headed off to physio this afternoon as she struggled with an injury while training.

She is the latest star of the show to run into difficulties. Last week her dance partner James Jordan broke his nose in training after an accident while he danced with wife Ola.

And Aliona Vilani is nursing a damaged ankle which is expected to keep her out of the show for up to another fortnight.

Van Outen told fans about her woes with a message on Twitter. She wrote: "In the back of a cab with a stiff one - neck that is. On my way to physio."

She is understood to have woken up in pain this morning and her neck stiffened as she attempted to train, to the point where she was barely able to turn her head.

The 38-year-old's performance on last Friday night's edition of the show saw her awarded 25 points by judges. The waltz was enough to put her and Jordan in fifth position on the leaderboard.

Van Outen later revealed she had an injury more associated with car accidents, which she blamed on her dance partner.

"I've got mild whiplash. Thanks, James Jordan," she wrote online.

PA