Rachel struggling to train; judges favour Lisa

Rachel is reportedly struggling to rehearse for Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing final after falling during training. She jarred her back following a tumble in rehearsals with partner Vincent Simone, according to The Daily Express. Rachel is said to be undergoing emergency treatment to help her get well enough to perform in Saturday's live show.

A source said: "Rachel's having emergency physio and is taking painkillers. It couldn't have come at a worse time because she's desperate to be fully fit for the final. She's been struggling with her back and all the lifts haven't helped. However, she really jarred it after falling heavily. It's a real shame."

But a BBC spokesperson said: "Rachel has always had back ache throughout the series. She hasn't fallen or anything like that. There are always a team of physios on hand to help the contestants with any problems they may have. Rachel will be performing in the final on Saturday."

Rachel is the bookmakers' favourite to win the glitter ball trophy at odds of 6/4, ahead of grand finalists Tom Chambers and Lisa Snowdon.

However judge Craig Revel Horwood predicts that Lisa will win but thinks it is going to be very close. "I had predictions and they've gone all out the window. Obviously last week was quite sort of bizarre for all of us. I guess if I'm honest, Lisa Snowdon is sort of a pretty hot contender. It depends what she does and whether they perform. I think they're all very, very equal. They all have different things. Tom is very splashy, Rachel is very technical and Lisa is like the underdog that comes up trumps each time she is under pressure."

Judge Arlene Arlene Phillips has said she prefers last year's winner Alesha Dixon to all this years finalists. She went on to blast Rachel, saying she was not a "bubbly, bouncy girl", unlike Alesha, according to The Sun. But she did admit that Rachel was just as good a dancer. However, she was nice about model and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon, saying she had improved the most and was the most likeable.

And head judge Len Goodman said that "there's no clear winner, it's just going to be fantastic!" He also said that "Rachel is equally at home with ballroom and latin and Lisa's ballroom is fantastic, maybe her latin's just slightly weaker."