The stars of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing stepped away from their rehearsal rooms last night to attend Norwood’s annual fundraising dinner.

Norwood is a leading Jewish charity that supports thousands of vulnerable children and their families, children with special educational needs and people with learning disabilities.

Contestants Rob Rinder and Greg Rutherford, together with judge Darcey Bussell, joined almost a thousand guests at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel for the annual event.

Criminal barrister Mr Rinder, otherwise known as daytime TV’s Judge Rinder, told the guests: “I suppose you’ve been voting?

“Don’t feel bad if you haven’t but I assume if you don’t vote for me it will be because of antisemitism.”

The lifelong Norwood supporter said he was an fluent Yiddish speaker and he had been teaching his co-star Greg about the language.

“I love it. I will use it whenever I can. Sadly I can’t use it in court,” he said, “I have had so many moments where I’ve wanted to say to a litigant, ‘what is this meshuganh doing?’

“Or appeared in front of a youth court and wanted to say, ‘Look he’s not a bad boy, he’s just a lobbes.’

During an panel interview with his co-stars, the judge asked Greg to tell the audience what a ‘shnorrer’ is?

The Olympic long-jumper said: “It is my new favourite word. I hope nobody here has been a shnorrer tonight. It has been really fun learning the language.”

Guests also heard from 21-year-old Rebecca Lane, who overcame a childhood marked by neglect and trauma, after receiving help from the charity.

In a speech that received a standing ovation, she said: “Norwood has been there for me for as long as I can remember.

“I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor, my parents were not looking after us, and I had barely any clothes.

“I dreamed of going to university but, as a child whose parents walked out at the age of 14, I knew the statistics were against me.

“But Norwood helped me fulfil my dream. I’m in my fourth year of university and hope to go on to get more women involved in science. I can say, without any doubt, that I would not be where I am without their help.

“They taught me to trust adults again.”

The judge said he was moved by Norwood service users’ stories of abuse and neglect within the family.

He said: “I’ve been lucky, despite coming from a blended family, I’ve always kept a very strong relationship with them.

“Being here tonight and hearing the stories some people have faced makes you realise how lucky you are to be brought up in a very loving, very traditional Jewish home.”

Judge Rinder, from Southgate, north London, said it was his last week’s performance of the foxtrot that was the highlight for him and his grandparents, who were originally from London’s Jewish East End.

He said grandparents, Harry and Francis, truly kvelled from the front row, as they got the chance to watch him do their favourite dance.

“They really enjoyed being there,” he said, “I was worried that people might think by having them there I was being inauthentic or schmaltzy.

“But I got into that dance because they loved it. It was their dance, from their generation.”

Despite Mr Rinder’s routine scoring an impressive 33 points he was pessimistic about the chance of winning the show.

He said “I did slip money” into an envelope for Strictly judge Darcey Bussell, “but I don’t think it will work.”

Norwood chief executive Elaine Kerr, said: “The money raised tonight will do a tremendous amount of good and we’re so grateful that, at this stage in the competition, Greg and Rob took time out of their gruelling Strictly schedule to support our cause.”

Norwood’s joint president Lady Nicola Mendelsohn, said: “Personal best – this year’s theme – is about ripping to pieces the limitations that others place on you.

“It’s about hearing ‘you’ll never be able to do that’, then going right ahead and doing it and doing it well. It’s the common thread that runs through every part of this charity day in, day out.”