Olympic long jumper Greg Rutherford has admitted that everyone expected him to leap straight out of TV ballroom competition Strictly Come Dancing in the first week.

Despite having no previous experience with performing, Greg is now heading into week seven of the BBC One celebrity contest – but has said that he is such an amateur his dance partner Natalie Lowe has even had to teach him how to walk properly.

Speaking to Zoe Ball on BBC2 spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing – It Takes Two, the 29-year-old athlete said: “Most people were like ‘don’t worry, you’ll be out first week’, so I was expecting an early bath.

“But everything I’ve done is testament to Natalie, she’s had to do even the basics like teaching me how to walk.”

Greg and Natalie’s rumba did not prove popular with the judges at the weekend, with their criticism about the routine leaving Natalie in tears.

She explained: “I was just a bit gutted that I maybe let you down.”

Greg said: “I loved the performance, I loved the dance, I thought it was fantastic. I wasn’t too concerned with what [judge] Craig (Revel Horwood) was saying.

“It can be hard when you’re away from family for a long time, so when you find something you love, it’s great – and that was the rumba for me.”

Also being interviewed on the programme were former Hollyoaks actor Danny Mac and his dance partner Oti Mabuse, whose foxtrot left them in a tangle on Saturday night as a cord used as a prop to tie them together complicated things.

Talking about using the cord, Danny said: “Oti’s been really, really pushing me and we’ve not got top marks yet, so Oti wanted to put in something extra to get there.

“As Craig said, had it gone right, it could have been 10s.”

The couple are dancing a jive this weekend and Danny said: “It’s not hard compared to real people with real jobs, but physically it’s been the hardest so far.”

Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One on Saturday at 6.55pm.