Laila Rouass one of the presenters of "The Channel 4 TV Book Club". She participated in the seventh series of "Strictly Come Dancing", a BBC One reality show, paired with professional dancer Anton Du Beke, and alongside "Footballers' Wives" co-star Zöe Lucker. The pair made it to the last four before being voted off the show on 6 December. She failed to show up for the final on 19 December to reprise her partnership with Anton Du Beke. The show's host, Bruce Forsyth, offered no reason for her absence although he did do so for the other missing celebrity, Phil Tufnell, who
Strictly Come Dancing Come Dancing"'s internet message board. Dixon was compared unfavourably to Phillips, with claims that the former was "unsuitable", "unqualified" and lacked "knowledge, experience and talent". However, Dixon was praised and defended from her critics by the BBC, by fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood and by Phillips herself. In 2009, during the seventh series, professional dancer Anton du Beke issued a public apology for his use of a racial slur during a conversation with his dance partner Laila Rouass. Du Beke claimed that the comment, which was never broadcast, was a joke referring to Rouass' spray-tan, in which he said that