Viscountess Emma Weymouth is "completely devastated" by a Strictly Come Dancing voting scandal inadvertently caused by a manager at her stately home, The Telegraph can reveal.

She was "unaware" that a staff member at Longleat House in Wiltshire had offered to pay for colleagues to phone in and back her earlier this month.

Darren Beasley, head of animal operations at Longleat's safari park, told staff he had been "authorised" to pay for their calls in a Facebook message posted on October 18.

He urged workers to keep their phone bills as proof, adding: “Tell your partners, mums, dads, cousins, granny and the dog if he can dial that number for Lady Emma and Aljaz.

"Phoning this week will be free because Longleat will pay. Let’s keep them in for another week x. Happy voting.”