Strictly Come Dancing professional Jowita Przystal found herself dodging a very direct question from Lorraine Kelly on Monday - after her headline-making on-stage kisses with Pete Wicks.

The dancer joined presenter Ross King on Lorraine's sofa to discuss their new pairing for the BBC ballroom contest, revealed during the launch show at the weekend.

But the chat soon turned to Jowita's surprise reunion with former celebrity partner Pete, which had set tongues wagging just 24 hours earlier.

The drama unfolded at London's O2 Arena, where Pete and close friend Sam Thompson staged a special live edition of their Staying Relevant podcast.

To raucous cheers from the crowd, Pete and Jowita performed a dance originally planned for last year's Strictly final - and punctuated their routine with not one but three passionate kisses.

The crowd erupted, with many convinced the pair had finally confirmed their rumoured romance. 

But any speculation was swiftly complicated when Pete was later spotted 'locking lips with a mystery woman' at The Maine Mayfair in London.

On Monday morning, Lorraine could not resist bringing up the moment. 'I love Pete Wicks, he's an angel,' she said warmly.

'But last year, you took someone who really couldn't dance and you made him look good! He got so far in the competition.

'I know you saw him at the weekend! And you know what, you did really well with him, you really did.'

Jowita carefully sidestepped the comment about seeing Pete. Smiling politely, she replied: 'Aww, thank you!

'It's the hard work, and I think the commitment you put in, that's all that matters. The celebrities come from all different backgrounds and they all have different abilities.

'That's okay, but the beauty of that show is to take someone who has no idea and no clue how to dance, and then to go out and perform.

'It's quite overwhelming, but also beautiful. To see the smile after each dance we do, to see the smile on the face, it makes me feel like I'm in the right place at the right time, and I'm doing the best job ever.'

Attention then shifted back to her current partnership. Ross and Jowita revealed they will be dancing to Katy Perry's California Gurls when the live shows kick off this Saturday.

'I'm loving every single minute of it, I really am,' Ross said of their rehearsals.

Ross has been given the longest odds to win the Glitterball Trophy at 66/1. Former rugby star Chris Robshaw follows at 50/1, with ex-footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at 33/1.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lewis Cope - known to Emmerdale fans as Nicky Miligan - is the current favourite on 5/2.

Former Love Island star Dani Dyer and model Ellie Goldstein share joint second place at 9/2.

Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV1 from 9:30am and is available to stream on ITVX.