Ice judge Louie in blast at BBC for box-ticking’
STRICTLY was plunged into an astonishing storm last night after a rant over “nobody” judge Motsi Mabuse.
Motsi, 38, who is set to join the panel next month to replace Dame Darcey Bussell, faced a jibe that she may only have landed the job because she is a woman and “somebody of colour”.
She is the older sister of show professional Oti Mabuse and an established dancer in her own right. But Lou i e Spence, a former judge on r i val s how Dancing On Ice, blasted the BBC’S decision to hire Motsi as a “box ticking” exercise.
The acidtongued ex-pineapple Studios star also dubbed Motsi “a nobody” he had never heard of. Suggesting she only beat show favourite Anton Du Beke to the job because she is female, he said: “She isn’t a celebrity. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t put Anton there, everyone loved him.
“Unless it was because they wanted to have 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.
“If she’s qualified for the job, that’s all that counts really. She is doing something she has trained for all her life.”
Louie – on Dancing on Ice for just one series in 2012 before being axed for Jason Gardiner – said it was now much harder to be cast on a TV show.
He added: “There’s all the boxes that have to be ticked. Tick the box for the gay, tick the box for the lesbian, tick the box for the black, tick the box for Asian.
“It’s all just making sure everyone is included and sometimes maybe people aren’t right for it. Sometimes they don’t tick the box for the show, they tick the box for the diversity and all that c**p.”
Insulting
Motsi was born in Mankwe, South Africa, and moved to Germany with dance partner Timo Kulczak, who later became her husband.
She joined German show Let’s Dance as a dancer in 2007 and four years later, became a judge. After it was announced she would be joining Strictly, she said she was “absolutely overjoyed”.
A BBC spokesperson 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 previously hailed Motsi as “a brilliant addition” to the show.
Dame Darcey reportedly earned £110,000 as a judge, the same as Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli. It is believed Motsi will earn the same.