Forget Ed Balls! Jumping Judge Rinder wows the Strictly people’s jury
HE WOWED Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell with his frenetic cha-cha – and it seems the public can’t get enough of Judge Rinder’s performance either after it became the most popular clip in the show’s history. Now the criminal barrister and TV star says he is determined to reach the Blackpool heats of the competition because of what it wo would mean to his dance partner, Oksana Platero. Speaking after his showstopping performance on Friday night, Rinder said: ‘I have always thought it was a bit faux when people said they want to make it to Blackpool. But it turns out for ballroom dancers, Blackpool really is the Holy Grail. ‘Oksana is from the Ukraine and has been dancing from the age of six, and I now know it would mean the world to her to dance at Blackpool. I want to make that dream come true.’ The 15 celebrities taking part in this year’s contest danced with their partners for the first time this weekend.
Rinder and five other celebrities danced on Friday and the remainder performed last night.
Rinder, 38, began his routine by spinning across the stage and then baring his chest. Less than 24 hours later, more than 2.5million people had viewed the clip on social media – a record for the show.
After receiving a standing ovation from the audience, Miss Bussell said: ‘It was extraordinary. It was the wildest surprise I’ve ever had.’ But fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood criticised Rinder’s ‘apparent trout pout’ and said he looked like he’d had ‘excessive collagen procedures’.
Rinder responded: ‘He brings his experience to bear on that comment.’
Rinder’s civil partnership to fellow barrister Seth Cummings was overseen by his close friend, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, and he is hopeful that the Sherlock star will appear in the studio audience to cheer him on during the competition. Rinder added he also had high hopes for former Labour Minister Ed Balls, saying: ‘I think he is going to surprise a lot of people as the competition progresses.’
In last night’s show, model Daisy Lowe and partner Aljaz Skorjanec performed a waltz to Unforgettable by Nat King Cole, and US singer Anastacia and partner Brendan Cole danced a cha-cha to Patti LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade.
Balls and Katya Jones performed a waltz to Are You Lonesome Tonight by Elvis Presley.