Chris Robshaw's wife Camilla Kerslake missing from Strictly audience after clash

Chris Robshaw will return to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom tonight as he battles to keep his spot in the competition.

The ex-England rugbycaptain has had a challenging start to life on the BBC programme, finishing 14th out of 15 couples in the opening show before a slightly-improved 13th place finish last weekend. With a combined score of 30 from the first two weeks, the public vote wasn't enough to save him from the dreaded first dance-off, but he was saved by the judges who sent TV personality Tom Skinner home instead.

Despite his shaky start, Robshaw insists he's having the time of his life on Strictly and will be desperate to keep his place as he takes to the floor on Saturday night to perform a Thor-inspired rumba to 'Sweet Child O'Mine' alongside professional partner Nadiya Bychkova.

• Keely Hodgkinson puts 's***show' behind her to win five-figure prize and mad-expensive tiara
• Tears flow as cousins to face off in tennis final after Novak Djokovic upset

However, it seems he'll have to do so without his wife and biggest fan, Camilla Kerslake, in the audience, with a scheduling conflict seemingly ruling her out of being at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire to cheer him on.

Kerslake - herself a well-known figure in the world of classical music - is scheduled to perform at the Super League Grand Final in Manchester on Saturday evening, as Wigan Warriors take on Hull Kingston Rovers at Old Trafford. The final kicks off at 6pm, just five minutes before the live Strictly show begins nearly 200 miles away, meaning she'll miss out on watching her husband's 'Movie Week' routine in person.

The 37-year-old, who has welcomed two sons with Robshaw since their wedding in 2018, has performed at several high-profile sporting events over the course of her career, singing the national anthem at Wembley for both the FA Cup final and an NFL match. After previously performing ahead of the 2022 Super League Grand Final, she will return tonight to sing 'Jerusalem' just before the game kicks off.

Kerslake, who has also released two studio albums, performed for royalty, and signed with Gary Barlow's record label, has been her husband's biggest cheerleader since he began his Strictly journey. She even confessed that she wanted to confront judge Craig Revel-Horwood after Robshaw received low scores in week one.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, she said: "I hope my big mouth won't get Chris in the bottom two. I was furious last week, a protective wife, and I wanted to climb over the desk and give Craig what for. I'm so protective of my husband. I know how hard he's working, how much this means to him, and I reacted."

She also criticised the "wild" disparity in dance experience among the cast, as she responded to an Instagram comment from former Love Island winner Amber Gill, which read: "Unpopular opinion: I think having people with so much dance experience is unfair." Kerslake replied: "The experience differences are absolutely wild. Definitely."

It comes after Robshaw took to Instagram himself to share a heartfelt message with fans, having survived the first dance-off of the series. Pouring his heart out, he admitted that his Strictly experience had made him "feel like an athlete again" as he promised his followers he is trying his hardest.

"Hi everyone," he wrote. "I'm going to try and put how I feel into words - which you guys know is not my strong point (cheers dyslexia). The first thing I want to say is thank you. When I started this show I never thought I'd end up loving to dance. I can admit that I never thought that beyond being a dad to two amazing boys, that the dance floor would give me back by purpose.

"This show has made me feel like an athlete again. A feeling that I have missed. I don't think I realised how much I missed it, until I joined the show. I know I am not the best dancer, but I hope you can see some potential in me, and I'm worthy of your vote. I want to improve and to continue on this journey for as long as I can.

"I don't want to let @nadiyabychkova down. I don't want to let you guys down. I promise you I am trying my best. I've even started to waltz in my dreams, it's on my mind a lot. I'm under no illusion I'm a great dancer, but I promise you I am trying my best," he added.

"I was gutted at the prospect of leaving last night, and whilst it's never nice being bottom two, it's made me want this even more. Perhaps the athlete in me is competitive, but more than that, I am having such a good time.

"To Nadiya, thank you. Thank you for your patience. I hope I haven't let you down. You are world class, and I want to do you proud. To my amazing wife @camillakerslake thank you for holding down the fort and being my biggest cheerleader, I couldn't do it without you.

"Thank you to everyone who voted. I hope you know how much I want to be on the show, and how much i am loving being here. The support has been amazing, and I am forever grateful to you all for all the messages and kind words. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and have a good start to the week."