Golden girl Victoria Pendleton in tears after opening performance on Strictly Come Dancing

The new series of Strictly Come Dancing got off to an emotional start last night as Olympic cycling's golden girl Victoria Pendleton broke into tears after blowing her first routine.

As half of the new cast of stars began to bust moves, it was evident that there they all have plenty of work to be do on their dancing.

But showing her competitive streak and emotional nature, Pendleton cried after she could not quite get her footwork right as she performed the chachacha to Kylie Minogue's Spinning Around.

Afterwards she said: "There is no way I thought I was going to cry but I just blew it so much. I'm so sorry."

Pendleton already became well-know for her tears this summer during the Olympics when she won gold in the keirin and silver in the sprint before retiring from cycling.

Former James Bond actor Colin Salmon showed he was one of the most promising celebrities this season as he performed what judge Len Goodman described as the "best chachacha of the night" to the sound of James Brown's classic soul track I Got You (I Feel Good).

Salmon celebrated by drinking a dry martini - shaken, not stirred - with Russian partner Kristina Rihanoff, while host Bruce Forsyth settled for a mug of cocoa.

Original Essex girl Denise Van Outen also got off to a good start as she waltzed with James Jordan.

The 38-year-old TV presenter revelled in the chemistry between her and Jordan, which she put down to the pair both having a "naughty streak".

Meanwhile, new dancer Karen Hauer got herself into hot water after admitting to Westlife star and dancing partner Nicky Byrne that she had never heard of the Irish heartthrobs.

The 30-year-old Venezuelan did not endear herself to snooty judge Craig Revel Horwood either and was criticised for incorporating lifts into the waltz she danced with Byrne.

Tonight, the other half of the cast will take to the floor to perform live.

Last night's first live edition of the series was on a par with the launch programme three weeks ago - when viewers learned the pairings - drawing an average audience of 8 million.

The programme drew more than a third of TV viewers during its hour-long run from 9pm and hit a peak audience of 8.6 million.

Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV1, which featured singer Ronan Keating, drew 3.3 million viewers during the same hour.