OUTRAGE AFTER EX DANCING ON ‘Motsi is a nobody but the BBC have got someone of colour so they’ve ticked that box’
NEW Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse was at the centre of a race storm last night after the BBC was accused of favouring her because she’s a black woman.
In a scathing rant, ex-Dancing On Ice judge Louie Spence accused show bosses of diversity “box ticking”.
And he dismissed South African Motsi, 38, as “a nobody” – and said his Strictly dancer pal Anton du Beke should have got Dame Darcey Bussell’s job instead.
The BBC blasted 50-year-old Louie’s attack as “wrong and insulting”, insisting Motsi – sister of Strictly pro Oti and a former judge on the German version of the show – was “the best candidate for the job”.
Louie said: “I don’t know her. She is a nobody. She isn’t a celebrity. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t put Anton there – everyone loves him as a pro dancer on the show – unless it was because they wanted another woman on the panel.
“Also, they’ve got somebody of colour, which is being diverse. They like to tick every box. I’m not saying she’s not credible, but maybe that’s why they chose her.”
RESPECT
Talking about TV shows in general, Louie adds: “There’s all the boxes that have to be ticked now, the box for the gay, the box for the lesbian, the box for the black, the box for Asian.
“Sometimes they don’t tick the box for the show, but they tick the box for the diversity or the inclusive and all that crap. But sometimes maybe people aren’t right for it. Just choose the right people.”
Motsi was German Latin Champion and South African Champion in 2009 and 2010. Her big TV break came when she took the job of pro dancer on then little- known German show Let’s Dance.
She stayed for four years before becoming a judge in 2011, which made her a household name in
Germany.
Announced two weeks ago as Strictly’s new judge for the series which starts next month, she said: “I am overjoyed. I have so much respect for the other three judges and hope to add my own bit of sparkle.” Pineapple Studios star Louie – who was a judge on ITV’s Dancing On Ice for one series in 2012 before being axed for Jason Gardiner – conceded: “Af ter one episode , everyone will most probably love her. But that’s how fickle it is. You only have to be on TV for five minutes and fart and you can become famous. But if she’s qualified for the job, that’s all that counts. I’m not saying her credentials aren’t valid. I’m saying maybe that’s the reason why Anton wasn’t chosen.”
Louie also believes Anton, 53, would have got the job if he was gay.
He said: “He would’ve been the perfect judge. He’s got great personality, great wit. You’ve got Craig Revel Horwood who’s a villain, Bruno Tonioli the camp queen, a bit like me, and Shirley Ballas being serious. Then you’d have had Anton, who really knows what he is talking about.
“He just didn’t tick enough boxes. If he’d have come out as gay, he might have got there. It’s not just about his talent and his personality. It’s having to be diverse and having to have two women on the panel and not three men, so then it’s men-heavy.”
Last year’s final pulled 12.7million viewers. It is believed Motsi will earn the same as Darcey Bussell – £110,000. A BBC spokesman said: “Motsi got the job because she was the best candidate. Any suggestion to the contrary is completely wrong and insulting.”
Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, has said Motsi is “a wonderful dancer and has years of experience as a judge”. Kate Phillips, controller of Entertainment, added: “We didn’t take finding Darcey’s replacement lightly. Motsi’s credentials made her our first choice.”