Susannah Constantine rubbishes rumours she was a diva on Strictly

Susannah Constantine has insisted stories about her being a diva on Strictly Come Dancing were made up.

There had been reports that the What Not To Wear star – who was eliminated from the BBC show at the weekend alongside her professional partner Anton Du Beke – had been demanding behind the scenes.

However, Constantine said on spin-off show It Takes Two that there was no truth to the rumours, saying: “Sod the effing papers.”

“We all got on so well and if they can’t find something they will make it up and that’s what happened,” she said.

“I know how much fun I had with everybody and I’ve made lifelong friendships.”

The fashion guru, 56, said she was “gutted” to be the first contestant out of the competition.

“It’s not a nice feeling at all,” she told host Zoe Ball.

“But you know, if anyone else had gone out I would have felt like I had cheated.

“I am the worst dancer. I’m the oldest female there and had no experience whatsoever, but I went out there despite all that and did my best and I had the king and even he couldn’t save me.

“So really there was no hope.”

Constantine admitted she was “not sure how much more I would have been capable of” had she stayed in the competition, but said she had thought she would have done better at a Charleston.

Du Beke addressed speculation that he might now leave the dancefloor for good.

“Absolutely not the case,” said the dancer, who is the only professional to have appeared on Strictly since it began in 2004, after fellow dancer Brendan Cole departed the show earlier this year.

“I’m going to carry on doing this show whether they want me or not. I’m coming back every year, I’m coming back.

“I’m going to win this show one year.”

He joked: “I’ll show them – even if I have to vote for myself.”