Shirley Ballas has made a rare dig at celebrity contestants on Strictly Come Dancing as she called out some for relying too much on their professional partners.
The head judge, 64, is usually one to offer a kind word and uplifting comment to celebrities on the show. However, it appears that some tricks have not escaped her attention despite her diplomatic approach.
On Saturday night’s semi-final (7 December), the remaining contestants, including Pete Wicks, Chris McCausland, Tasha Ghouri, Sarah Hadland, and JB Gill, were asked to perform two dances each as they made a bid to the public to go through to the final.
After Gill and his partner Lauren Oakley finished their dance, a Paso Doble to “Requiem for a Tower” by Clint Mansell, Ballas gave her critique.
“I love to see it JB, when I can actually see an improvement and you have saved it for the final,” she said. “You brought everything to that.”
She continued, “My criticism in the past for Paso Dobles is that they tend to have the celebrity stand there, while the professional does all the work.”
The comments come after the judges faced criticism online for an “unfair” approach to scoring as they appeared to treat Towie star Wicks with a softer approach than others, according to some viewers. Wicks has faced mounting backlash, revealing he has received death threats from people angry that he has made it so far in the show with partner Jowita Przystal.
But Ballas praised Oakley’s choreography as she said, “You, young lady, had him starting out from the very beginning. You had him rotating, turning, he was in shadow. You did everything that one loves to see in a Paso Doble, and plus took a risk with the cape, which you executed perfectly. You went up a gear. Well done.”
Later in the programme, Gill’s Salsa to “Red Alert” by Basement Jaxx made history as it became the first Salsa to be awarded a perfect score in six years. Craig Revel Horwood, usually the most critical of all the judges, also marked a first for the show as he left his seat to shake Gill’s hand.
The comments came on a special occasion as Gill celebrated his birthday on the night.
Rachel McGrath appraised the JLS singer’s performance for The Independent as she wrote: “Gill, compared to the others, has often flown under the radar. But each week, he’s brought heaps of energy to the ballroom and out of all the remaining celebrities, he’s always looked like he’s having the most fun on the dancefloor.”
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