Kristina waltzes off Strictly
Departure: Dressed as air crew, Daniel O’Donnell and Kristina Rihanoff bow out
IT is meant to be about the waltz, the jive and the cha cha cha – but half the audience and at least one of the judges were distracted by a different spectacle during Saturday night’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Professional dancer Gleb Savchenko, 31, stripped off his shirt to reveal his muscular torso in a flagrant bid to win votes.
And it was not only the viewers at home who let their eyes wander. Judge Darcey Bussell, 46, admitted to contestant Anita Rani, 37, that the steamy samba did not have her full attention because ‘ I was distracted by your partner’.
Opening the show with the provocative dance, Savchenko, who only joined the programme this year, writhed on the floor before
‘Please don’t touch me, it’s disgusting’
tearing open his top halfway through. He went even further afterwards while being interviewed by presenter Claudia Winkleman, 43, taking it off completely.
It certainly seemed to have the desired effect. One viewer tweeted: ‘Gleb should go topless every week, he’d get a 10 just for that, never mind the dancing haha.’ Another added: ‘Christmas has come early tonight.’
Not everyone was as impressed, however. Miss Winkleman joked that the display left her feeling ‘nauseous’ and, after the dancer pulled her into an embrace, added: ‘Please don’t touch me, it’s disgusting.’
The 6ft 1in Russian hunk has become a firm favourite among the women who tune in to Strictly each week. Some have already dubbed him the ‘sexiest man on television’ in tones usually reserved for Ross Poldark actor Aiden Turner. One tweeted after an earlier appearance: ‘Not sure if I’m starting the menopause early but I’m definitely having a hot flush after watching Gleb. #HOT, #SWOON!’
Savchenko has previously worked on Dancing With The Stars – the US version of Strictly – where he made headlines due to his chemistry with his dance partner, reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump, who is married but remarked that he was a ‘perfect specimen’. This has echoes of comments made by Countryfile presenter Miss Rani, who called him ‘the hottest boy in class’ when they were paired together.
His looks once even saw him picked by Jennifer Lopez to appear alongside her in a shampoo advert. Unfortunately for Savchenko’s admirers, he has been married to fellow dancer Elena Samodanova, 32, a judge on the Russian version of Strictly, for seven years and they have a four-year- old daughter, Olivia. Miss Samodanova once said: ‘The fans don’t care if he’s married. They’re just in love with him.’
She admitted that an air stewardess once even slipped him her number while he was sitting next to her.
But the air miles ran out for contestant Daniel O’Donnell last night. In a pilot’s uniform and waltzing along to Fly Me To The Moon with partner Kristina Rihanoff, the Irish crooner was voted off the show by viewers.