Carol on dance floorCarol on dance floorTV's Carol Vorderman is recovering from a torn cartilage after her gruelling performance on Strictly Come Dancing.  

The Countdown presenter was injured when her dance partner Paul Killick flung her backwards during their rumba routine.

She feared she had broken a rib but kept her agony hidden from viewers, even when she was voted off the show.  

Vorderman, 43, told the Daily Mail: "My side is swollen and the doctor says I have a torn cartilage beside the rib.  

"I have two sets of strong painkillers and I've been told to go straight to casualty if there's shortness of breath.  

"Paul's nickname is `The Killer' and now I know why."  

She added: "On Saturday night we really went for it - right at the end, during the finale of our dance, Paul leant me back and I suddenly felt a terrible pain below my shoulder blade on my right side.  

"I had to hold that pose and still smile."  

Esther Rantzen, Julian Clary, Aled Jones, EastEnders actress Jill Halfpenny, gardener Diarmuid Gavin, Casualty star Sarah Manners and athletes Roger Black and Denise Lewis are still competing in the show.