STOURBRIDGE’S salsa gran Paddy Jones has been forced to give up her quest to win Britain’s Got Talent after cracking her ribs while rehearsing.

The 79-year-old great gran had been guaranteed a place in the semi finals after judge Amanda Holden buzzed her straight through to the penultimate round of the TV talent contest by pressing her golden buzzer.

But the pint-sized salsa dancer, who used to run Paddy's Fabrics in Victoria Passage, sustained an injury to her ribs while practising her semi-final routine in Spain with dance partner Nicko Espinosa - who is 40 years her junior – forcing her to pull out of Saturday’s live semi.

A spokesman for the show said yesterday (Wednesday): “Paddy injured herself while rehearsing and she has either cracked or bruised her ribs. We are waiting to hear back from the doctors and she is resting.”

But a source close to Paddy has told the News: “There’s no way they’re dancing on Saturday.”

The sprightly septuagenarian has reportedly been told “no acrobatics for at least a month” in light of the injury.

Paddy's son Phil Jones, from Hagley, said: “It’s not as dramatic as they’ve made out in the papers but she’s not able to dance at the moment. It wasn't a fall, I think Nicko just held her a bit hard."

"She's obviously disappointed."

Paddy and Nicko had been tipped early on as favourites to win the show after wowing the nation with their dynamic dance moves in the first auditions round-up but following her injury she is said to be “resigned to the fact that it’s all over”.

To replay Paddy and Nicko's audition performance on Britain's Got Talent, see video below.