Public back Louis Smith to waltz off with the Strictly crown

OLYMPIC gymnast Louis Smith is odds-on favourite to take the Strictly Come Dancing crown tonight, according to bookies.

William Hill said more than 90 per cent of bets this week have been for Mr Smith, making him 4/6 to win, with Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh getting 4 per cent. Denise van Outen got just 1 per cent.

The BBC show could attract record audiences during the two live final shows tonight when the four stars compete for the public vote. All have been vying to shore up support in advance of the final of the show, which has consistently scored ratings above their rivals on the 
X-Factor.

Denise van Outen’s dance partner James Jordan said their “bulldog” spirit could be putting the public off after they ended up in the bottom two last week.

The pair have impressed the judges with their polished performances but a lack of viewer support dragged her into the dance-off two weeks running.

Last week she scored 38 and 39 for her two dances, putting her in second place on the leaderboard, but she still ended up dancing for her place in the final against Lisa Riley.

Jordan said: “No-one likes us. We looked in the mirror the other day and we went ‘Everyone else looks so sweet and we look like bulldogs’. That’s what we said because we look so aggressive.”

But van Outen said she is happy being in that position because it is “less pressure”.