Strictly's Halloween dancers reveal their jitters

Strictly Come Dancing stars have revealed their greatest fears ahead of this year's Halloween special.

Just 10 couples remain in the competition after Birds Of A Feather actress Lesley Joseph was eliminated when all four judges voted to save model Daisy Lowe in the dance-off on last week's show.

With Halloween around the corner Strictly returns on Saturday night with its traditional annual spooky theme and sinister costumes.

Ahead of the show, Olympian Greg Rutherford, sports presenter Ore Oduba and professional dancers Karen Clifton and Aljaz Skorjanec were quizzed on their biggest fears.

Rutherford, who is partnered with dancer Natalie Lowe, revealed he "cannot stand spiders" but had been trying to stop his son from suffering the same fate.

He said: "I like snakes, I like scorpions, I like lizards and I don't mind bugs but spiders, I cannot stand spiders. I'm trying to instil in Milo that he likes spiders. He'll see me screaming and be like 'no I don't like them'."

"I've never had any bad experience with them at all but there is a picture of me at home somewhere stroking a tarantula when I was four at nursery for some reason."

Skorjanec and Clifton also admitted to being scared of spiders. Skorjanec, whose girlfriend is dancer Janette Manrara, said: "I don't like spiders either.

"if I spot one in the bathroom coming up through the plug Janette has to get rid of it. Yuk."

Meanwhile Oduba, who has topped the show's leaderboard for the last two weeks, revealed his biggest fear was birds.

He said: "Forget ghosts, ghouls and devils ... pigeons and seagulls are my hell."

Oduba, who is partnered with Joanne Clifton, will dance the Charleston to the Bow Wow Wow version of I Want Candy on Saturday night's show.

Meanwhile Rutherford and Lowe will perform a rumba to Bring Me To Life by Evanescence whilst TV presenter Laura Whitmore is set to return to the dance floor after missing last week's show through injury.

She will dance the tango to The Rolling Stones' Paint It Black with partner Giovanni Pernice.

:: Strictly Come Dancing returns on BBC One on Saturday at: 6:45pm.