Frenetic week for Strictly star Dani Harmer (From York Press)

Frenetic week for Strictly Come Dancing star Dani Harmer

9:43am Saturday 15th December 2012 in News

STRICTLY star Dani Harmer has been through a frenetic week as she prepares for both York Barbican’s Christmas panto and tonight’s semi-final of TV’s hit dance show.

The former Tracy Beaker actress has been dividing her days between acting rehearsals each morning for Cinderella and dance rehearsals each afternoon and evening with partner Vincent Simone.

To make matters even more demanding, she has had to prepare for not one but two routines on Strictly Come Dancing, as she tries to get through to the final next Saturday.

But Paul Leno, one of the panto’s producers, said she had never complained once, despite the dance rehearsals going on as late as 11pm.

He said: “She has been an absolute diamond. She has never whinged. She has just turned up to the panto rehearsals on time and got on with it. She is an absolute trouper.”

He said Vincent had come up to York for the week so that Dani did not face the impossible task of returning to London each day.

In the panto, Dani is acting alongside I’m A Celebrity’s King of the Jungle Joe Swash and Hollyoaks’ Joe Tracini.

In Strictly, she has successfully competed against the likes of Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton, Nicky Byrne and Michael Vaughan and competes in the semi against Denise Van Outen, Lisa Riley, Louis Smith and Kimberley Walsh.

Mr Leno said rehearsal arrangements for next week would depend on whether Dani gets through to the Strictly final, which he suspected would happen.