Star critical of ‘weird’ conflab at Strictly exit
VICK HOPE, the Strictly Come Dancing contestant, has accused the judges of conferring with producers before deciding to save Seann Walsh from elimination.
Walsh and Katya Jones, his partner, were saved by the judges after plunging the show into scandal when they were seen outside a pub earlier this month.
After a tense dance off, Shirley Ballas, the head judge, made the decision to send Hope and Graziano Di Prima home. The radio presenter was formerly a favourite to win but came bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday night.
Hope told Capital Breakfast: “It was very strange because after the dance off, the judges have to give their decisions, but there was a bit of a conflab with some producers and then they gave their decisions. It was just stunned silence in the studio, it was a really weird atmosphere.”
She also suggested Ballas dislikes her, after Roman Kemp, the show’s presenter, brought up the critical comments the judge made in week one.
Hope responded: “I’ve got to be careful what I say because you never know what someone’s thinking. And it was from week one that people were suggesting there was something there.”
All of the judges, except Craig Revel Horwood, backed Walsh and Jones to stay after the dance-off.
A BBC spokesman denied the claim, explaining: “It is categorically untrue to imply that producers tell judges how to score or who to save.
“Each judge uses an electronic voting pad to transmit their score or choice, which is then locked in and cannot be changed. Only after does a producer speak to them.”