Comedian Susan Calman has become involved in a debate about the gender of dancing partners in Strictly Come Dancing.
Calman, who is married to a woman, has faced criticism on social media for dancing with a professional male dancer during the competition. The identity of her partner will be revealed on the first programme (7pm, BBC1, September 9 - update - it's Kevin Clifton), which has already been recorded.
She has defended her decision to dance with a man and appear on a programme that does not have same-sex dancing couples. According to the BBC she said: "I think politically, there's nothing more powerful than having an openly gay woman on the biggest show on television, whose wife's on the front row, doing what she wants to do....no one is holding me hostage in this room, making me wear a dress and dance with a man. I want to learn how to dance."
At end of August she tweeted: "I've campaigned for LGBT equality for many years. Now I'd just like to dance."
Calman is currently 50-1 to win the series with Paddy Power.
