Holding out for a hero... what is Ed trying to say to Labour?
ED BALLS took the Strictly stage by storm again last night – with a routine that could easily have been seen as a message to the embattled Labour Party.
The former Shadow Chancellor and his Russian-born partner Katya Jones delivered another frenetic performance when they danced the Paso Doble to the Bonnie Tyler hit Holding Out For A Hero.
The former Labour MP donned chain mail and a cape to take on the role of a knight who has to rescue his damsel from a dragon.
It left some wondering whether Balls pictured himself heroically riding to the rescue of Labour, which has been riven by turmoil under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Balls and Jones have become firm favourites with Strictly Come Dancing viewers – but the show’s judges have been harder to impress.
Despite their usual energy, the pair got a paltry 16 marks last night and the routine was savaged by all four members of the panel.
Head judge Len Goodman said he spent the routine ‘holding out for a Paso Doble rather than a hero’ while Bruno Tonioli said Balls had danced like a cross between a demented traffic warden and a spin dryer.
Balls was one of 12 celebrities who performed in last night’s show, the first since the shock departure of pop star Will Young. Presenter Claudia Winkleman said: ‘If you are watching, Will, we love you and wish you all the best.’
Just hours before taking to the stage, model Daisy Lowe, who has been photographed topless and in the nude during her career, said her antics on the dancefloor were far more terrifying than anything she had done in front of the camera.
She said: ‘Oh my God, Strictly is so much more nerve-racking. I am a bag of nerves and a very clumsy one at that.’ Lowe, who is partnered with former Strictly champion Aljaz Skorjanec said she had been particularly worried about dancing a sensual Rumba last night to the George Michael classic Careless Whisper.