Television presenter Ulrika Jonsson has pulled out of her London stage debut in The Pajama Game because her voice is feeling the strain.

Jonsson received warm reviews when she starred in the show in Birmingham for five weeks.

But she has no stage training and she only had a few weeks of singing lessons before she started performing in the show, which transfers to London's Victoria Palace Theatre in September.

A production spokesman said: "She felt that after 12 weeks of rehearsal and performance, eight performances a week would place too great a strain on her vocal stamina.

"Reluctantly, therefore, she has stepped down."

Men Behaving Badly actress Leslie Ash will take her place playing Babe in the show, which made stars of Bob Fosse and Shirley Maclaine during its original run on Broadway.

This new revival is directed by Simon Callow, and also stars former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson and comedian John Hegley.

Jonsson's TV career began when she became a weather presenter on the now-defunct breakfast station TV-am. She had previously been a secretary at the company.

During the 1990s she presented ITV's Gladiators show, and she also became well-known through her work with comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.