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Could Debbie McGee miss Strictly Come Dancing final 2017? Bosses concerned after illness leaves contestant feeling like a 'zombie'

Fears: Debbie McGee and partner Giovanni Pernice: BBC
Fears: Debbie McGee and partner Giovanni Pernice: BBC

Strictly Come Dancing bosses reportedly fear Debbie McGee may not be well enough to take part in Saturday night’s grand final after she fell ill earlier this week.

The former magician’s assistant, 59, said she had been left feeling like a "zombie" and is “physically washed out”.

Speaking to the Daily Star she said: “I am now more tired than I have been in any other week.

“The pressure is much heavier. On Tuesday I was like a zombie.

Impressive: Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice in action (BBC/Guy Levy)
Impressive: Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice in action (BBC/Guy Levy)

“I was brain dead and physically washed out.”

McGee – who looked close to pulling out of the Blackpool special after she twisted a muscle in her back while training with Giovanni Pernice – recently opened up about the pressure to compete.

Speaking on This Morning she told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that she has been left “utterly exhausted” by the process.

She said: “It’s fantastic and I’m having an incredible time but it’s not an easy time. It’s really tough.

“Maybe because I’m older, you get more tired. I really struggled on Monday. I was totally and utterly exhausted from Blackpool and the emotion of being in the dance-off, then the relief we’d got through.”

McGee will go up against Alexandra Burke, Gemma Atkinson and Joe McFadden in a bid to win the coveted glitterball trophy on Saturday night.

Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One, Saturday at 6:30pm