Denise Van Outen has defended fellow Strictly star Natalie Gumede over her dancing past.

Former Corrie star Natalie has faced criticism because of her dancing experience, in the same way as Denise did when she competed on Strictly Come Dancing last year.

But Denise told Digital Spy: "In (Natalie's) defence, it's the same (accusations) as what I had, but people need to understand that the style of dancing you do on that show is so different.

"A lot of people that go on Strictly have had some form of (theatre training), so I don't think that Natalie has got an unfair advantage.

"Sometimes it's a hindrance. If you have training in one other form of dancing, sometimes you have to break habits."

Denise said she was a fan of Hairy Biker Dave Myers on this year's show, thanks to the fact that he doesn't take himself too seriously.

She added: "I'm really enjoying watching the show... the first night I was on the phone constantly to (former Strictly co-star) Kimberley Walsh, because we've become really good friends, going through everything - 'Ooh, do you remember this moment, do you remember that?' and kinda reliving all of that."