STRICTLY Come Dancing fans claim Nicole Scherzinger told Tess Daly to "get away" from her in an awkward on air exchange.

The Pussycat Doll singer was in the audience to support her former band mate Ashley Roberts.

She was joined by fellow band member Kimberley Wyatt, and fans were delighted to see a mini reunion of the girl band.

Nicole, 40, also had one of her songs feature on the Halloween Special, as Lauren Steadman danced a Paso Doble to her hit solo single, Poison.

Having won Dancing With The Stars herself over in America, Nicole was an obvious choice for host Tess Daly to speak to ahead of Lauren's routine.

Sitting beside her, Tess, 49, was about to speak when Nicole could be seen looking a bit miffed and muttering something to her.

Ever the pro, Tess then launched into her questions but got more than she bargained for when Nicole gave a rather long winded answer.

But it was the blink and you'd miss it comment that really grabbed viewers attention, as they strained to hear what she had said to Tess while looking seriously unimpressed.

Taking to Twitter, one fan shared the clip and asked: "Any lipreaders able to work out what Nicole Scherzinger is saying to Tess? Looks a lot like 'don't sit so close to me'."

Another tweeted: "@bbcstrictly Did anyone else notice Nicole Scherzinger @nicoleScherzy say to Tess Daly 'Don't sit so close to me' right as the cameras cut to Tess to introduce the last dance? Wow."

A third replied: "I'm still trying to work out exactly what she said. Got the impression it was along the lines of that or you're on my dress."

The other viewer replied: "She definitely says something '...close to me' The look on her face says it all."

A fourth viewer asked: "What did Nicole say to Tess before AJ and Lauren's dance?? Hmmmmm #Strictly".