The 42-year-old promised a spectacular routine for her next appearance on the ITV programme this Sunday, but warned there was a risk of partner Matt Evers "flying into the audience" if things went wrong.

Heather told GMTV: "It's about 20 billion times harder so unless you're willing to really put in hours and hours and hours of training, way beyond anything like the dance show, it is the hardest thing."

She appeared on US show Dancing With The Stars in 2007, and Matt said the way she has taken on her latest challenge is "inspirational".

Heather said she would try "anything" during training, as long as her professional partner proved it could be done on her artificial leg first.

She said: "Every time Matt asks me to do something I say 'OK, do it like you can't move your ankle, and you can't move your feet like you do with your own feet, and keep your leg straight'.

"If he manages to do that, then I say 'right, let's do that, let's try that'. So I'll try absolutely everything. I might not do it very well but I'll try it."