Gabby: "Apparently 'My Journey' Isn't Interesting Enough"

There is an article in today's Mirror, which is littered with quotes from Gabby.

How much of it is true, or in context, is up for debate. There have been a lot of stories in the past 48 hours, and no-one really seems to know the truth anymore.

She allegedly complained about Kate canvassing for votes on GMTV: "My Inside Sport viewers won't vote on Strictly Come Dancing."

"People blame Kate, but it's not her fault the public keep voting for her. When she came over to say goodbye she had a slightly embarrassed look in her eye."

Dominic: "I'm Loving Learning To Dance"

There was a lengthy interview with Dominic Littlewood in Saturday's Mirror. It reveals Dominic's thoughts on Strictly, as well as a bit about his background.

He confesses that he's never been in love, but is ready for a relationship.

And he thinks Alesha could be headed to the top: "Alesha Dixon - phew! I tell you if she wanted to marry me I'd get the vicar down to the studio right then. She's absolutely beautiful and definitely the one to watch. She's my tip."

And he's enjoying the experience: "I don't expect to win but I'm loving learning to dance. I always had inhibitions about it, worrying I'm going to look like a plonker."

Gabby: "I Feel Empty And Slightly Directionless"

Gabby Logan writes a column for The Times, and this week she talks about her elimination from Strictly Come Dancing.

It's great to hear what Gabby thinks, and is a nice compliment to last night's It Takes Two.

On her drive to succeed: "Winning was never my motivation, but somewhere along the way, because of my work rate and love of training, I was labelled competitive."

On James: "My professional partner James Jordan was as good a teacher as I could have hoped for – it took us a couple of weeks, but we “got each other”. He didn’t praise very often, but demanded the best I could give him."

On how she feels now: "I feel empty and slightly directionless today [yesterday]. I think I’m addicted to dancing."

It's only a short column, so please have a read.

Kelly And Penny On Jonathan Ross

Kelly Brook and Penny Lancaster-Stewart appeared on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross last week.

Click here for a short clip.

Derek's Diary

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be the partner of a Strictly participant?

Kate Garraway's husband Derek has been keeping a diary for the Daily Mail, and now you can read his thoughts.

I love what Derek's best friend said as soon as he heard: "Is it true that Kate's doing Strictly? It's our favourite show. Can you get us tickets." I'll bet every friend, relative and postman has said that at some point.

He gives us an insight into the clothes: "Kate's been told that if she wants to keep one [of her dresses] she has to pay around £1,000. I wonder what happens to the others? Maybe there's a charity shop somewhere crammed from floor to ceiling with ballgowns and sparkly shirts." Find me that shop!!

And he reveals the insecurity that all partners must feel: "I suddenly realise that she's going to have a man pressed up against her for the next umpteen weeks.

"So tonight when Kate gets in the bath, I go online and check out this Anton Du Beke character, hoping he might be gay. Damn, he's straight. Mercifully though, his partner is a dancer on the show, too.

"Then Henry calls.

"I confess my concerns but tell him I've discovered that Anton has a partner. "Ah," he replies carefully, "Well actually, Erin is his stage partner, he's single". "

It's worth reading the whole article. It's pretty revealing.

Week 4 Result

I cannot believe the judges were forced to choose between Gabby and Penny at this stage.

I have no idea who I would have voted for in their shoes. When faced with two solid dancers, you have to be super critical. Gabby had a few minor timing issues in the past two dances. Penny's jive wasn't the best, but her other two performances were solid. James' samba was more traditional than Ian's, but I liked both. I just don't know.

Sunday Service: Week 4

I'll cut right to the chase this week...

Alesha & Matthew were a fabulous start to the show. They were graceful, elegant and pretty much faultless. Shame we can't say the same about Len and Bruno...

Gabby & James gave a lovely performance. I thought it had a nice bounce. Gabby performed really well, but it did lack a little hip action. However, I have recently discovered how darn difficult the samba hip action is, so I'm not going to hold is against her.

I thought Dominic was a little hesitant and didn't lead the dance enough. But the routine was lovely, and I'm glad that Craig gave Lilia a compliment for her choreography.

Oh dear. Kate & Anton. I think my questions about her timing were answered. It's not good. Anton danced around her in the way you sometimes see the professional women do. However, Kate looked like she was having fun and that was so brilliant. I actually preferred last week's tango, though.

John & Nicole were very pleasant to watch. There was an error in the middle, but the rest was well placed and neat.

Kenny had timing issues. However, he was much better when Ola had hold of him in some way. She was leading him throughout the dance. The dance had lots of personality, which was great.

Kelly & Brendan were pure class. I must admit, I was so mesmerised that I didn't notice that there were three lifts. But the judges were correct to mark down, and I thing Bruno was wrong to give them a 10. You cannot give a perfect score if the rules have been broken.

I enjoyed Gethin & Camilla. It was fabulous to finally see a couple do a samba roll. Nice ones too! There seemed to be lots of key samba steps missing from the routines this week. Camilla covered a lot of core steps. It was a fun routine.

Letitia & Darren gave their best performance of the contest so far. Letitia definitely has a flair for the ballroom work, and the American smooth was enjoyable.

I loved Penny & Ian's quirky 60s samba. It could have worked as a show dance. Penny could have had more hip action, but she made up for it in performance. It was so much fun. Easily my favourite samba of the night.

Matt certainly found his stride with the American smooth. Perhaps my supposition that he would be more comfortable in the hold was correct. He totally led Flavia, and was in control. He has found his inner performer, and it's fantastic to see.

Who should go? It pains me, but I think Kate & Anton have come to the end of the road, with Kenny & Ola following closely behind.

Alesha & Matthew



Gabby & James



Dominic & Lilia



Kate & Anton



John & Nicole



Kenny & Ola



Kelly & Brendan



Gethin & Camilla



Letitia & Darren



Penny & Ian



Matt & Flavia

Judges' Chat

Here is a very lengthy article from yesterday's Daily Mail, in which the judges comment on each of the couples. Although I actually think it's an interview with Craig and Arlene, with a few old quotes from Len and Bruno thrown in.

I know there will be people out there who think it is wrong for the 'impartial' judges to talk to the papers in this way. But I don't think it's any different than them talking to Claudia. And, despite being judges, they are also human, and even if they didn't talk about their opinions, they would still have them. In defense of Craig in particular, he always says "I would love so-and-so to come out and really go for it..." I think all of the judges do have faith in the participants.

Below are a few highlights, but it's worth reading the whole article. Although nothing beats this, which was supposedly said by Arlene...

"Last year [Nicole] was the first to leave the competition with Nicholas Parsons and this year she's determined to hang in there."

Nicholas Parsons?? I can't believe that Arlene would have said that, which makes me perhaps a little suspicious of anything in the article appearing in quotation marks...

Craig on Brendan & Kelly: "I've never seen him happier than I have with Kelly Brook. He's lusting after her like mad. Kelly's no fool behind all that upholstery but thank God she's engaged to Billy Zane who is always in the front row watching every single movement of Brendan's hands."

Arlene on Gabby & James: "Gabby is an outstanding individual who has a very dominant personality. The man is supposed to lead in dancing but James will have to be very strong to get Gabby to fall and melt in his arms."

Craig on Kate & Anton: "[Anton]'s very competitive and has been given such dross in the past with women and Kate's no better. It's really tough for him."

Arlene on Letitia & Darren: "Letitia has absolutely got talent but her nerves just ruin everything she does, and instead of feeling confident in herself and her ability she's like a shrinking wallflower."

Craig on Penny & Ian: "[Ian]'s the best man for Penny as he teaches with kindness - unlike the aggressive Brendan or James."

Arlene on Alesha & Matthew: "Alesha is a natural and I think they will creep right up to the top. I think we're going to see the true Matthew this year."

Arlene on Gethin & Camilla: "Camilla is a tough cookie but will have to work extremely hard to get Gethin to the standard she needs him to be."

Arlene on John & Nicole: "I saw [John] last week on another television show and was pleased to see that, after telling him off for not standing up correctly, he had a complete change in body language which is encouraging."

Arlene on Dominic & Lilia: "[Dominic] is going to make everybody laugh - well, probably not Craig, who never laughs and always takes himself too seriously."

Len on Kenny & Ola: "Ola and James are so competitive with each other and so are Gabby and Kenny who are both very fit and sporty. But it's going to be fascinating as it's now clear that Kenny is not a patch on Gabby as a dancer."

Len on Matt & Flavia: "Matt has great potential as he's young, fit and good-looking so I see no reason why [Flavia] can't turn him into a great dancer."

Kenny's Thong And Dance

Kenny Logan is planning on wearing a kilt for the paso doble if he makes it past this week's samba. But, according to The Sun, he may not be able to go for the whole 'true Scotsman' swing, becuase the BBC fears he might end up showing more than just his dance skills. They have requested that he wear a thong.

Kenny also said that he would like the chance to performance with his wife: “I would really like to get the chance to dance with Gabby though, maybe on a Christmas special.”

Rowdy Come Dancing

There is a little video report on the ITN website in which Alesha Dixon describes the group a rowdy and Brendan Cole talks about how wide open the competition is this year.

Kate: "I Just Don’t Want to Let Anton Down"

Kate Garraway spoke to The Sun yesterday about her Strictly woes.

She talked about how difficult she finds it to act sexily in front of millions of viewers.

"I’ve been trying my best to be sexy on the dancefloor but my dance partner Anton du Beke tells me it’s like trying to snog Julie Andrews. He keeps telling me to dance like a hooker!"

It's not just the nation that she feels it difficult being sexy for.

“I’ve been practising my sexy dance moves in the bedroom but my husband says he’s just put off by my M&S tartan pyjamas – it’s not a very sexy sight."

Kate, Kate, Kate. You are sexy. You've just got to go for it, girl.

Simply Ballroom Cover Artwork Revealed

The artwork for Anton & Erin's Simply Ballroom DVD has been revealed.



I attended the recording of the DVD back in the summer. Read my report here.

The Honour To End All Honours

I've been plugging away with SCB for well over a year, and I'm enjoying my second series of giving you all the gossip and my opinions.

I'm still chuffed that so many of you read my mutterings. Whether you come to read my opinions, or simply the latest from the red-tops, I hope you enjoy what you see.

But now I have the honour that no award could top. This blog is now linked from the Mecca of Strictly Come Dancing - the BBC website!

If you click on any of the SCD pages other than the hompage (for example, About The Show) you'll see 'Related Links' on the left hand side of the page. The second one down is 'SCD fan blog'. And that's me!!

I'm so elated. It's fabulous. Thanks BBC!

Karen Cares About Me!

OK, perhaps the headline is a little misleading.

Another new feature on the BBC website is Karen Cares. Karen Hardy turns agony aunt and answers your dancing problems.

Or rather, mine. Well, this week anyway!

Loulabelle44 writes:
I have only just learned to do heel turns in ballroom. I find myself leaning on my partner too much when I do them. Any advice?

Karen says:
I am very concerned to hear about your problem and feel the answer is really quite simple. Anytime you enter into a heel turn or any form of turn, always make sure the body commences to turn before the legs and feet. This creates a counter balance in the body and helps you to stop leaning on your partner!

However, I must add some advice to those of you who may enjoy a drink or two pre dance lesson. They say 'no drink driving', well I have to say 'no drink dancing'. This, too, will help you to master the skills of two bodies moving in harmony.


Thanks, Karen. I shall take your advice on board and see if I can improve.

Tess' Take

The BBC website has a new feature this year, Tess' Take. It's a weekly column where Tess gives her thoughts on the week's performances and goings on at TC1.

Why have I decided to mention this in Week 3? Because you can now leave your questions for Tess on the BBC SCD Messageboards, and this week my question got answered!

What's the most un-glamorous thing about presenting the show? - Loulabelle44
"Probably the hair rollers during dress rehearsals - it's not very glamorous at all! And I'm constantly eating mints to quench my thirst, because I don't want to drink too much liquid before we go live. It's an hour and a half show, with no ad breaks, so I can't run to the loo!"

Erin Teaches In Oxford

Here is a little report from the Oxford Mail on a workshop taken by Erin recently.

Erin said: "It is nice seeing so many beginners dancing because of Strictly Come Dancing, and it is nice to see all these different age groups."

New Lesson 7

I'm doomed to a life of foxtrot.

Yes, it was more of the same last night. Basic foxtrot. Then we had a decent go at the jive. I actually properly learned the whip (instead of being asked "Have you done the whip, yet? Oh, well you just did"). It was great. Although I was dancing with a guy who had an intimacy issue. I hate these married helpers. Don't they get that it's just dancing? It will be a better experience all round if you hold me close.

The helper asked me if I go to the social dances. I would love to, but without a partner or even any friends at the school, I'd feel like a bit of a loser.

If anyone knows where one can find a decent partner, let me know. Most sites I've seen are for more experienced dancers, or competitive dancers. I just want to find a like-minded chap for learning and social dancing. But he must be able to dance a bit. I don't want to shuffle around like some of the couples in the class. You learn better if the man can actually move his feet and lead. And he must not have dance-ralated intimacy issues.

Alesha Swaps Matthew For Matt?

What would a series of Strictly Come Dancing be without a bit of romantic gossip?

MyParkMag reports that Alesha Dixon and Matt Di Angelo were getting on quite well on Saturday at London's Mo*vida nightclub.

A source said: "They weren't snogging - but they might as well have been."

It's probably a load of old nonsence. They were probably just having a fun time dancing the night away with loads of the others.

Lesson 28

The beginners class was newbie-tastic last night. I guess the new series of Strictly Come Dancing is working it's magic on the public once again.

Because there were so many new people, we started off 'gently bentley' with basic quickstep followed by rumba. I would have dropped off, but the rumba actually led to much hilarity following Tamara's class last week spent perfecting the timing. Poor newbies must have wondered what all the giggling was about.

In the second class we did a bit of everything. We started with foxtrot (thank goodness for Tuesdays or I would have been properly screwed, as opposed to just a bit screwed!). Then we went on to Viennese waltz, which was new, and rather fabulous. Although it's no good unless you can work with your partner and properly swing around. A strong lead is required. And finally, we did a bit of jive.

There was a lot of Strictly Come Dancing chat among the class last night, and it seems Gethin Jones is quite a hit. So if Gethin, Camilla, or any of their people are reading this, please pop along to Expressions on a Monday night, and there will be a spot in class waiting for you! You can canvass for votes and generally have a jolly nice time.

Letitia & Darren Clashing?

According to yesterday's News of the World, Letitia & Darren have been clashing in rehearsals.

The paper reports that Darren stormed out of rehearsals last week after the pair had a heated row, because he felt Letitia wasn't taking the competition seriously enough.

It's always difficult to tell how much truth is in these stories. I'm sure morale in the Dean/Bennett camp will have improved with Letitia & Darren avoiding the dance-off this week.

A Day In The Life Of Penny

Penny Lancaster-Stewart took the Sunday Mirror around set yesterday, to see what life is like for a Strictly participant.

My favourite part is what Ian tells her to calm her nerves: "Don't worry, you're in my arms, you're safe". So cute.

I love what Penny says about her youn son Alastair, too: "He loves the show but he's too young to come to the studio. But he skips round the kitchen when the theme music comes on. He's a proper little performer - like dad."

Week 3 Result

It was time for Willie & Erin to leave the floor. It wasn't that surprising, I suppose.

However, it was a total shock to see John & Nicole with them in the bottom two. John performed so well last night. What is that about? I was totally speechless.

Sunday Service: Week 3

My overwhelming thought from last night was how odd the song choices for the tango were. Most of them didn't sit well with me at all. They lacked the drama needed.

First up were Gabby & James. I thought Gabby did well. Her jive was light and bouncy. She was let down by her timing, an issue which I never imagined she would have.

Gethin & Camilla's tango was controlled and well-placed, but lacked a bit of drama. I love Gold, it's a fantastic song, and if you ever see me on a night out, I have always picked up on the song's drama. However, in my opinion, it just didn't have the right drive for tango. Gethin, to give him his dues, performed the choreography very well.

The judges made a lot of excuses for Penny with her long limbs. Ian used the jive he'd originally choreographed for Mica last year, but didn't get to perform. I didn't like the long intro (15 bars seemed a little excessive), but once they got going it was fine. Penny's feet were actually OK, it was her arms that looked odd. It's something I'm always unsure of, too. What should your arms be doing on the jive? Ian seemed relieved that the jive was now over. Penny should get through, and they need not have to worry about it again.

Kenny & Ola's tango was much improved from the waltz. Kenny looked a lot more confident than he has in the last two weeks. He still has things to work on, but it was a good attempt.

Matt's footwork was pretty good, although he did lose it in one place. But Flavia has to work on his performance. He still doesn't look like he's enjoying himself.

Kate is the most frustrating person in the competition. She needs some self-belief. I've been really surprised by her lack of confidence. She's gorgeous and engaging, but that just doesn't come across on the dance floor. As the judges said, she had the footwork, but she was just empty. It's so sad. She is sexy and fabulous. If only she would believe it. And Anton seems to be working hard to try and convince her, but it falls on deaf ears. They also had one of the better music choices with They. Kate needs to watch her balance at times.

Dominic & Lilia gave another strong performance. Lilia's choreography again played to Dominic's cheeky strength and energy. But I'm now itching to see him take on something more serious. He has to be doing ballroom next.

Material Girl was a very odd choice for Letitia & Darren's tango, and it didn't really work for me. However, Letitia did a much better job than last week. She looked a lot more confident in the safety of the tango hold. But she still doesn't fully extend her arms and legs enough.

John & Nicole did a fantastic job on the jive. I agreed with the judges that he needs to stand straighter, and he can be a little flat footed, but he has bags of energy and is very pleasant to watch. Like Dom, I'm now very interested to see him do ballroom.

I was so pleased that Erin went for a more traditional tango, dancing to Obertura. Willie's footwork is very good. Of course, he needs to work on his posture, and he had virtually no head movement, but he's giving it a pretty good go. I do worry about what the latin dances will bring.

Alesha is a bundle of energy, and proves that taller people can do the jive without too much bother. She had really fantastic control of her legs and feet. Again, I can't wait to see how she'll be when Matthew has her in a ballroom hold.

Despite an odd music choice, Kelly & Brendan did a fantastic job. Kelly is so graceful, and it was a lovely routine. I especially liked the leg flicks. He work is neat, well presented and a joy to watch.

Who would my bottom two be? It's so hard to choose. Probably Letitia & Darren, but I'm not sure who else.

Here are the videos...

Gabby & James

Gethin & Camilla



Kenny & Ola



Matt & Flavia



Kate & Anton



Dominic & Lilia



Letitia & Darren



John & Nicole



Willie & Erin



Alesha & Matthew



Kelly & Brendan

Craig To Miss Tonight's Show?

The Sun is reporting that Craig might's miss tonight's show.

"Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood may miss tonight’s show after he fell downstairs and broke three ribs. The 40-year-old Aussie choreographer has been told not to move."

I hope that it's not true. But if it is, I'd like to wish him a very speedy recovery.

Tour Update

Three men have now been added to the Strictly Come Dancing tour line-up.

Currrent participant Matt Di Angelo, Series 3 winner Darren Gough and Series 1 runner-up Christopher Parker have signed up for the arena tour. There is one more male name still to be announced.

Extra performances have also been added this week.

See Ticketmaster for a full list of dates on sale.

Kate Is Crushed

No, Anton didn't stand on her tendonitis-riddled feet. Kate has had her car towed and crushed.

According to RTE, Kate's injury prevented her from driving her Beetle, which was parked around the corner from her North London home. In the meantime, the tax expired and authorities took it away. When Kate realised it had been taken, it was too late.

Anton: "I Don't Need To Be Married, Do I? I've Got Erin…"

Every so often, Anton du Beke gives an interview that will make women weak at the knees. I have always professed not to have a thing for him. I adore him. Who wouldn't? But it's not like that.

But every so often he gives an interview that makes you smile and swoon.

Yesterday's interview in the Daily Mail is one of those.

I'm not going to post quotes, it really deserves to be read. He talks about his desire for dance to be taught in schools to give everyone a sense of social responsibility. About how he 'stumbled across' dancing. He talks about dancing with the Blairs. Both of them. He talks about the ladies and relationships. And his Strictly partners, past and present.

Brendan: "I Am Your Father"

No, not a reference to any illicit liaisons.

Kelly & Brendan took a break from training to goof around and play Star Wars.

See the clip at The Sun online.

Kenny Courting The Scottish Vote

Kenny Logan gave an interview to today's Daily Record, pleaing for Scottish voters to help him through.

He told readers: "I need Scottish viewers to vote for me and keep me in because otherwise I've no hope. I can't dance. I don't hear the beat very well and I'm not exactly light on my feet. But I'm keen. I've been practising for four or five hours a day."

Kenny is set to wear a kilt, which he also hopes will rally the troops north of the border.

New Lesson 6

Really not much to say this week.

We went over the foxtrot again, as there were a few people back who hadn't been in a few weeks. I've now done the foxtrot so much, that I was able to assist one of the men, while the helper I'd been dancing with helped his wife. And they both came out better off. So I helped!

Then we spent about 10 mins on the cha cha. Again nothing new.

The teacher said to me when I joined the class: "This class won't stay this this pace for long. I'm going to be pushing them on, so be prepared". I haven't actually seen any evidence of this yet. I live in hope...

Ola Injured

As you may have heard on It Takes Two the other night, Ola Jordan has reportedly pulled a muscle in her leg.

Ola's partner Kenny Logan told Claudia: "lt's just got worst as the session's gone on. We've stopped the session 2 hours early. I am a bit worried – she might have to have 2 days off. I can't do it myself."

It's a shame this has happened to the couple. Kenny apears to lack confidence on the floor, and a couple of days without training won't do anything to help his nerves.

Vote For Strictly Come Dancing!

The shortlist for the National Television Awards have been announced, and Strictly Come Dancing is nominated for Most Popular Talent Show, against Any Dream Will Do, Britain's Got Talent, Dancing On Ice and The X Factor.

Now doubt, one of the Cowell programmes will win out, but let's do our best to change that.

Click here to have your say. You have until midday on 31st October to make your vote count, and the awards will be handed out live on ITV1 on the same evening.

Lesson 27

Last night I had to face up to a sad fact. My hips weren't made for samba, and at 29, I'm not sure I will be able to remodel them either!

Tamara took the class again this week, so it was latin all the way.

We started with the aforementioned samba. My feet don't have a problem. As I mentioned the other week, it's all step ball-changes to me. But the hips. Oh the hips. I stared at Tamara's hips for the best part of the class. She explained that all the action comes from the pelvis. And in my head, I understand that. Somewhere between my brain hearing what she says and the action coming out, something misfires, and what's left is an uncontrollable mess. My recent suppositions that perhaps I was more suited to latin than ballroom after all were blown out of the water in the space of 60 minutes.

After the misery of the samba reality, I was hoping the rumba might offer some comfort. Surely I'm a Kelly and not a Letitia? I liked to think so... We concentrated on technique and timing. I thought I'd been doing alright at rumba lately, but turns out I was wrong about that too. Oh well...

Penny Gains Weight

Speaking to Now magazine, Penny admits that she has gained weight since starting training for Strictly Come Dancing, but admits that it is in a good way.

She explains: "I've realised [my weight gain is] because my body fat has gone down and my muscle, which is heavier, has increased. I've now got muscles in places I'd forgotten about."

The Strictly fitness plan seems to be a surefire way of getting in shape. Tried and tested, year after year.

Could The Results Show Be Moving Back To Saturday?

According to media commentator Ray Snoddy, Strictly could be going back to normal Saturday service in due course.

Writing in The Independent, Snoddy says "The results show was moved to Sunday to cope with the number of contestants. It will return to Saturday when the dancers have been thinned out a bit."

I do hope this is the case, and it's not all about that stupid cat after all...

Brendan: "I'm Confident We Can Win"

Brendan Cole is optimistic about his partnership with Kelly, and he thinks they have a chance of being there at the end.

Brendan told the Sunday Mirror: "[Kelly] is so curvy and feminine - I can put her in so many positions that show that off... Her body is perfect for ballroom dancing - I'm confident we can win."

And it seems that Len Goodman is not the only one who thinks Brendan "must have dies and gone to Heaven": "Guys on the street punch me on the arm and tell me I'm the luckiest guy alive, truck drivers honk their horns and builders shout encouragement to me. If I met Kelly in a pub, of course I'd go and speak to her. She's a very attractive woman."

Week 2 Result

So the public saved Kate & Anton, leaving Letitia & Darren and Stephanie & Vincent in the bottom two.

I probably would have kept Stephanie & Vincent. However, Letitia gave a much improved performance the second time around, and for that she has my respect. Perhaps the safety of the tango hold will serve her better.

Sunday Service: Week 2

It was the girls' turn to face the wrath of the judges this week, and the wrath of the Sunday Service!

Stephanie & Vincent kicked off with a solid quickstep. They covered the floor well, but their body contact was last at a lot of points, and Stephanie needs to watch her shoulders.

I found Letitia & Darren's rumba was a little awkward. All the movements seems truncated and small. It didn't seem to flow, and the movements didn't have the feeling of 'going on forever', as my dance teacher would say.

Ah yes. Kate & Anton. It's so hard to judge their performance under the circumstances. Kate looked happy to be on the floor. The quickstep was an unfortunate draw for Kate, and it was flat-footed. She also had some timing issues, although it's difficult to tell if that was because of pain, or lack of rhythm.

I expected to be wowed by Alesha & Matthew, and I wasn't quite, but they still put in an excellent performance. Their rumba was pitched perfectly between romantic and sexy, and the couple had a nice connection. I thought Matt's choreography was splendid, especially the final position, and they had a lovely track in Hurt. Alesha was a little untidy in places, but I'm sure that will disappear as she gets further through the competition.

Penny & Ian's quickstep was the first one that was actually quick! It was light and bouncy without being skippy. She appeared to lose it briefly in a couple of places, but picked it up again with ease, although I am willing to accept that I may be mistaken. Being picky, I would say she might need to watch her shoulders.

Kelly & Brendan gave the night's best rumba performance in my opinion. Again, it was pitched perfectly between sexy and romantic. It was well-danced. Kelly has lovely hip and leg action. I loved the routine's drama, it was probably Brendan's best Strictly rumba to date. My only criticism, was that I felt that the pair concentrated on performing for the audience, and it lacked a connection between the two of them, except in the opening few bars.

Gabby & James did a good job. I loved the choreography, especially the kicky bit near the beginning. It's great to finally see what James can do.

I found the boys' group merengue quite boring. It lacked pizazz. It was more of a 'disco' routine than anything else. Kenny looked scared. I like that they played to Dominic's cheekiness, and Gethin and John stood out for me as having the most fun with it. But I really wasn't very impressed.

I'm not sure who will go. It depends a lot on where Kate ends up in the voting. If she's in the bottom two, the judges will surely send her home. But if she got the sympathy votes of the public, then it could well have been Letitia's last dance.

Here are the videos.

Stephanie & Vincent



Letitia & Darren



Kate & Anton



Alesha & Matthew



Penny & Ian



Kelly & Brendan



Gabby & James



Boys' Group Merengue

Strictly No SCDers On ITV

ITV has banned Strictly contestants and their partners from appearing on ITV chat shows until the competition is over.

Keen to protect The X Factor's ratings from Strictly's popularity, ITV has instructed bookers not to call up the stars or pros from the BBC show.

In the past couple of weeks, Strictly talent has appeared on shows such as Loose Women.

The Mirror reports that some contestants have even had appearances cancelled, such as Brendan Cole, who was due to appear on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

Gethin: "It’s A Crazy, Crazy Programme"

Gethin Jones has given a lengthy interview to icWales.

He talks about his partnership with Camilla, banning his parents from show 1, the punishing schedule and being over-ambitious in training.

“I dropped [Camilla] when I was trying a ridiculous move. We had crash mats down but if she could have fallen more awkwardly I would have liked to have seen it. I think she’s pretty brave and resilient.”

He also mentions the costumes.

“I’ve dressed as a woman, a baby and even a mermaid on Blue Peter so I won’t let a few sequins get in my way. Mind you, in week five I know I have to wear a see-through number with sequins on it so maybe I should go out in week four."

It's a very long interview, but well worth a read.

Kate: "The Quickstep Is Now Renamed The Hobble"

It's looking increasing likely that tomorrow could be Kate Garraway's first and last performance on Strictly Come Dancing.

Brave Kate told the Daily Mail that it's not been an easy week: "I have had to learn a completely new dance this week because I couldn't do the steps we planned. The Quickstep is now renamed The Hobble."

I do feel sorry for Kate & Anton. Who knew that it would end like this? Kate, much as I love her, has to go before she does herself any damage.

Tour Website

I'm sure many of you have now booked your tour tickets. I have. See you in London and Birmingham.

There is now a tour wesbite to keep you up-to-date with tour developments. We're still waiting for the names of the fabulous fellas, so keep your eyes peeled on the site.

Catch it at http://www.strictlycomedancinglive.co.uk/.

Stephanie's Weight-Loss Plan

It seems John Barnes is not the only one helping Strictly will help his shed some weight.

Stephanie Beacham told the Loose Women that she'd like to lose some weight too. And if she doesn't, Children In Need will benefit, reports MyParkMag.co.uk.

She told the ladies: "Three years ago I gave up smoking, and I immediately put on 15 pounds, and that's really hard to lose. So I thought OK, I am going to lose at least ten pounds, and for every pound I don't loose, I'm going to donate £1000 to Children in Need."

Kate: "I Was Secretly Hoping Gabby Logan Would Be As Bad As Me"

This article is from last week's Sunday Mirror, but I still think it's worth talking about, as I haven't already.

Kate has been amused by all the attention on her feet: "I feel like a Premiership footballer at the moment with all this attention my feet are getting. Normally my feet are lucky if they get a pedicure."

In the article she talks a bit about the other contestants. I love what she says about Gabby.

"I was secretly hoping Gabby Logan would be as bad as me. She's a mum of twins, so I hoped she'd be as knackered as me. And she's a TV presenter so I know she's not running around all the time. I thought we'd bond over being useless. Then I see her wrapping her leg over her head and find out she used to be a professional gymnast. Damn and blast."

The Ratings

You can make ratings tell any story you want. Believe me, I know.

The Media Guardian reported that The X Factor beat Strictly Come Dancing by 600,000 viewers on Sunday and led with the headline "X Factor edges out BBC rival". But does that tell the full story?

Well, in the battle for Sunday night, The X Factor was the winner.

But lost further down the article is the tale of Saturday night.

It starts with another paragraph which appears to declare the ITV1 show as the winner: "On Saturday, Strictly Come Dancing launched its series with 7.4 million viewers between 6.15pm and 7.30pm, while The X Factor drew 7.5 million between 6.45pm and 7.45pm on ITV1."

Hmm. 100,000 more viewers sounds a lot.

But if we dig a little deeper...

"When the two programmes were head to head on Saturday night between 6.45pm and 7.30pm, Strictly Come Dancing had the edge with 7.8 million viewers and a 36% share, compared with The X Factor's 7.2 million and 33%."

So in the head-to-head battle, SCD is actually the winner.

Like I said, you can make ratings tell whatever story you want...

Pro Dance Week 1

I loved the pro dance on last Sunday's show. I don't think the TV does it justice, as it looked better in the studio.

I especially like the samba rolls where the girls moved down the line. And Brendan's glance back at the camera is a nice touch.

The Stage's Blog

If you don't agree with what I think and want another opinion, make sure you read The Stage's TV Today blog, which will be covering the whole series.

It's really entertaining.

Strictly Come Dancing: Live

Didn't get tickets through the ballot? Fear not! Strictly Come Dancing is coming to your town!



Details are still emerging, but I can confirm the following dates:

Glasgow SECC - 18th January
Newcastle Metro Radio Arena - 21st & 22nd January
Wembley Arena - 25th & 26th January
Nottingham Arena - 29th Jauary
Brimingham NEC - 16th February

The tour will also visit the Manchester MEN Arena, but I have not seen the date for that yet.

The tour will feature Zoe Ball (yes!), Denise Lewis, Letitia Dean and Louisa Lytton.

The male celebrities are yet to be announced. Arlene, Len and Craig will also be involved. Bruno is unavailable due to DanceX going across the pond.

The professional dancers on the line-up are Darren Bennett & Lilia Kopylova, Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace, Matthew Cutler & Nicole Cutler and Ian Waite & Camilla Dallerup. However, as some of the professional dancers already have other commitments in their diaries, it may be that they don't all appear at every venue.

Zoe Ball has already taken her gloves off and is ready to fight over Ian Waite. She told the Press and Journal: "Denise came second with Ian the series before I was in it, so she probably has rights to him. But I'm going to be like 'I want Ian, I want Ian' - we may have to fight over him. I'm suggesting perhaps nothing athletic, because she would win, but maybe a game of snap."

Zoe also implies that not all dancers will do all dates: "I've been told that they may be swapping [between shows], but I think everyone will get very competitive, so once we get a partner, we'll want to stick."

I'll see you at least one of these venues in the new year!

DVD Cover Artwork Revealed

Play.com has revealed the cover artwork for the forthcoming Strictly Come Dancersize DVD.



I shall be getting this one to help me get over the Christmas excess. Sadly though, I don't think I could ever have a body like Karen or Erin. Maybe Karen and Erin put together and fed a few donughts...

'Kennygate'

The BBC's pretence that the Sunday night Strictly Come Dancing results show is live seems to have backfired.

In what Giles Smith of The Times refers to as 'Kennygate', Kenny Logan was seen 'live' on the BBC dancing for survival, and then just 10 minutes later, doing World Cup analysis for ITV live in Paris.

It's a great, tongue-in-cheek column and worth a read.

Dance Today: October 2007

If you haven't seen this month's Dance Today yet, you should check it out.

Kate & Anton are on the cover.



The magazine features an interview with Anton about his book, Anton's Dance Class. It also has an interview with Craig Revel Horwood.

New Lesson 5

Tonight was the quietest lesson ever, with only 5 of us in the class. The teacher is now threatening to cull the class and merge it with a Monday class. But that's when I go to Anton's classes! Ugh! It took me ages to find the school. How are people supposed to come to classes if they don't know the school exists??

Anyways, we continued practicing the foxtrot this week, which I now feel I have got the hang of. I even know what the steps are, and could explain the combination back. Considering that about 3 weeks ago I'd never done foxtrot, I think that's pretty good. This is who I want to stay with the school. But could I give Anton up?

We then did cha cha. Nothing new there. Same old thing that is not challenging anymore.

And we finished with a bit of freestyle jive. That was cool, and I realised that perhaps my dancing isn't as weak as I think it is. I was able to follow my partner, and there were only a few things he tried that I hadn't learnt yet.

Strictly Come Voxpopping

The Strictly Come Dancing web team were doing the rounds with their cameras on Saturday night.

Here is the voxpop video that they have put up. Bev was embarassed that she was the one that ended up doing the talking, but she did a grand job.

Kelly Walks Out Of Training

One of those wonderful hearsay rumours has appeared on Entertainmentwise.com.

The article says that Kelly walked out of a training session during the week, after Brendan tried to push her too hard.

A 'source' said: "Brendan was trying to teach her a more adventurous move. He was trying to hammer it into her but it wasn't working. Kelly was upset and walked straight out of the building and into her car. Brendan accepts that sometimes he pushes too hard but he thinks he and Kelly stand such a good chance of winning that he pushes her."

Sunday Service: Week 1

Welcome to my Sunday Service. Each week I shall be posting my comments about Saturday night's dances.

Matt & Flavia had the tough job of opening Series 5. The cha cha was solid. Matt had reasonable footwork for a novice and the performance had energy. It seems that Flavia has a solid base to work from.

Brian & Karen were the first to perform the waltz. The danced to The Godfather Waltz (as in the film), which gave the routine a dark quality not usually seen in this dance. In my opinion, although the choreography was nice, it took them too long to get into the hold and actually start waltzing. Brian seemed tense in his upper body, and needed to keep his shoulders down. I also got the impression that his steps weren't long enough, so they didn't cover enough of the floor. I liked Karen's interpretation of the music.

Lilia's musical interpretation is fantastic, and she gave Dominic the perfect, cheeky routine. Dominic has pretty good hip action, and Lilia can build his technical ability over the coming weeks.

Waltzing machine Erin did what she does best, a simple but effective routine for Willie. I would imagine that Willie is going to battle with the latin dances. His waltz, however was graceful and romantic. He had neat footwork and elegant rise and fall. He needs to work on his upper body. Like Dennis Taylor, he has snooker-player's hunched shoulders.

I thought Gethin & Camilla did a great job. Gethin probably had the routine with the most cha cha steps. Some of the other men danced around their partners, but Camilla made Gethin dance! And he did a really good job of it, too. I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet is a great song to dance too, and I must admit I felt a little nostalgia, as we danced to this in our last show. I loved the ending. I think Gethin should take Camilla further this year.

The first half of the 'Strictly Wife Swap' was up next, Kenny & Ola. Kenny looked a little nervous throughout the routine, but had a lovely upper body. I think perhaps that Kenny will find his stride in the latin dances.

The show ended with John & Nicole's cha cha. I was pleasantly surprised by John. He's quite a mover. John is very determined, which is an asset. He had neat footwork and nice hip action. He also had bags of confidence on the floor, and he and Nicole make a great team. Like Camilla, Nicole made John dance and that was fab.

The boys made a good start to the competition. However, after watching the girls' group blues swing dance, it has to be a girl's year. Girl Power is back on Strictly Come Dancing! Penny & Ian, Alesha & Matthew and Kelly & Brendan were all hot and stunning. I could barely take my eyes off those three couples. Letitia & Darren didn't impress me as much as I thought they might. Stephanie & Vincent were fun, although disappeared halfway through the routine. I think Stephanie may struggle with some of the quicker latin numbers. And Gabby reminded me a bit of Carol Smilie, but with looser legs.

Will Kate & Anton perform next week? Who knows? But it didn't look good. Kate was hobbling around and looked to be in a fair bit of pain.

If you missed the show, here are the videos.

Matt & Flavia



Brian & Karen



Dominic & Lilia (with commentary)



Willie & Erin



Gethin & Camilla



Kenny & Ola (with commentary)



John & Nicole



Girls' Blues Swing Group Dance

Brian's Man Flu

Brian Capron has been battling flu this week, according to The Sun.

He says: “I’ve got man flu but I don’t have to speak much on the show, so that’s a good thing."

I think that after Kate's problems this week, a little bit of flu is a quite nice thing to have! I'd much rather have flu. At least you are still capable of dancing!

Kelly: "Brendan Is Far More Vulnerable Than He Lets On"

Kelly has been talking to The Mirror about her partnership with Brendan.

She is having a great time training: "It's great to work with someone so talented. I can be challenged and not have to sit there like a dummy. Oh, that's a bit controversial, isn't it?"

The pair get on very well: "We're the same age, we've got the same taste in music and we're both competitive. We want to create great chemistry and have people thinking: 'Oh God! They're definitely at it!'"

Kelly sounds pretty confident in this interview. We'll see how well she does next Saturday.

Brucie Interview

There is an interview with Bruce Forsyth from today's Sun.

Although the interview does make him sound a tad letchy, which I'm sure is not the case at all.

He does say that he didn't take the comissioners seriously to begin with: “I thought they wanted it to be a comedy show — I’m not joking. I thought, ‘Celebrities? Ballroom dancing? This’ll be a hoot’. I really did. I thought it’d be so bad and that that was the idea of it. So I was amazed at how good they got and how hard they worked at it.”

Alesha On Loose Women

Alesha appeared on Loose Women yesterday talking about the competition.

I have to say, the training footage looks pretty good. And Alesha is so likable.

Gethin On Blue Peter

Here is a clip from Blue Peter in which the cameras follow Gethin about during his Strictly expreinces so far. And the team have a surpirse in store...

Will Kate Be Fit For Next Saturday?

Kate Garraway & Anton du Beke appeared on GMTV yesterday, talking about Kate's tendonitis and their partnership so far.

The Stage Interviews Arlene And Len

This week's issue of The Stage features interviews with Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman.

Len says he was about to retire when Strictly Come Dancing came knocking: “The producers interviewed loads of dance teachers from all styles of dance and I was one of the last interviewed. I got the job two weeks before the show started. The first show was on my 60th birthday, so I was on the way to retiring and taking it easy. Little did I know that this would come along and take over my life. It has been a marvellous experience.”

Arlene says she is a choreographer first, TV celebrity second: "My television appearances are almost my hobby - something you can do on a Saturday afternoon. I am serious about it, but I have never lost sight of what I actually do, which is choreography and direction.”

Ian Ready For SCD

A report from the Reading Evening Post about Ian's recent salsasize workshop, along with a clip in which he talks about the upcoming series.

Kath & Kel On Dancing With The Stars

Here is a treat from the Aussie version of Dancing With The Stars.

Kel Knight & Kath Day-Knight perform a showdance.

I can't wait for the new series of the hilarious Kath & Kim.

Penny: "Ian And I Keep Bashing Kneecaps"

Training is a painful, but fun, affair for Penny Lancaster-Stewart.

The told The Sun: “I’ve got a huge blister and I’m covered in bruises because Ian and I keep bashing kneecaps, but I’m loving it."

Penny & Ian are getting on very well: "I couldn’t hope for a better partner than Ian, who is the sweetest guy and has a very good understanding of what it’s like for a beginner.”

The whole interview covers a lot of the same ground as an earlier interview with the Daily Mirror.

Brian Rejected From The Ballroom

Brian Capron was rejected from the ballroom... when he was 11!

He tells The Sun: “I was rejected from ballroom dancing lessons when I was 11. My mum wanted me to do the lessons and I got paired with this rather nice 15-year-old girl who thought I was a horrible, greasy-haired nincompoop, and after three lessons it all fell apart!”

Brian hopes that Strictly Come Dancing will help him put his Corrie character, killer Richard Hillman, to bed.

"There are a lot of people who know that I’m not Richard Hillman, but there are still a lot of people who think that I might be! If I’m in for long enough, I think people will get to see I’m a little bit different. It’s all part of an actor’s rehabilitation after soap, really."

But starring as Corrie's resident murderer might have actually helped him for the challenges of some of the character-based dances: "The thing about Richard Hillman was, he was a bit theatrical, he had that wonderful camp theatricality with the black gloves."

I hope Brian gets to stay long enough for the tango or paso...

New Lesson 4

We continued with foxtrot to begin with. It seemed to be a billion times easier than last week. Not sure why. I now need to work on my footwork, and keeping it flatter.

We then did a little bit of cha cha, on count 1.

I enjoyed the class, but I really don't have anything extraordinary to say about it. I guess after Monday's paso excitement, there was no way my Tuesday class could deliver...

Kate Might Have To Drop Out

There have been a couple of reports over the last couple of days about Kate Garraway.

According to reports, she is suffering from painful tendonitis, and is hobbling around on crutches.

The Daily Mail reports that she has been instructed to rest.

She was out on the town with Anton last night, looking pretty sore.

The Mail report quotes an interview Kate gave to New magazine: "When people told me it would be hard I thought: 'Get out of it - I have given birth. Strictly Come Dancing is just poncing about in a dress."

But she's now realised that it's much more difficult: "I am determined to get better. I have told Strictly's producers I do not care how bad it is. I will do the show on crutches if I have to."

The girls do not face the public vote until next week, so she might have time to rest up a bit.

The Sun also quotes Kate's interview with New. Like every participant to date, she thinks her outfits won't get racy: “My outfits won’t be too revealing. They’ll be the equivalent of a winceyette nightie!”

Ramps Backs Barnes

Mark Ramprakash is tipping John Barnes for success in this year's Strictly Come Dancing.

Now magazine reports that Ramps tips John becuase he's a sportsman: "Being a fantastic footballer, with good feet and good balance, it doesn't really surprise me that he's got rhythm and coordination."

"The fitness is definitely an advantage and sports people also tend to have this competitive element, which means they want to do well and win."

Will John make it a hat trick for the sportsmen? The 'journey' begins on Saturday...

Lesson 26

Anton was busy training with Kate, so we were looked after by the fabulous amateur latin couple Nathan & Tamara. I like having different teachers now and then, because you get a different teaching style and pick up different tips. And Nathan & Tamara were adorable.

We started with a basic cha cha and then moved on to a basic jive. Nothing too taxing.

I wasn't going to stay for the second class, but when talk turned to doing paso doble, I couldn't resist. Anton doesn't do it very often, and everyone seemed keen.

This was my first ever paso lesson, and I loved it! I'm such a drama queen at heart, and it totally worked for me. It's quite intimidating to hold the man's gaze, but if you manage it, it's so cool! It helps if the person you're locking eyes with is a bit on the attractive side too, of course. I can totally see why the SCD participants quite often end up in giggles when they are training. I want to do paso every week now!

Gabby: “We All Get Close, Groin To Groin”

Some days you are just gifted with a soundbite..!

Gabby Logan has been talking to the Express & Star about her SCD training and that of husband Kenny.

Gabby was aked about the strain of spending all day with James, while Kenny gets cozy with Ola: "We all get close, groin to groin. But it’s purely work. There’s no jealousy there."

She was out canvassing for votes in Birmingham at the weekend while launching a clothing line for Betty Barclay at House of Fraser. “My husband has got the whole of Scotland voting for him, but I’ve got to share England with the rest of the contestants."

BBC Deny Favouring Kelly

According to Entertainmentwise.com, various Strictly participants have complained that the BBC have been favouring Kelly Brook over other contestants.

The BBC denies this, saying: "The show is not being fixed in Kelly's favour. It is totally fair. Everyone is being treated the same. Kelly's picture has been used by lots of media outlets because she is very photogenic but that is not our decision."

I have to side with the BBC on this one. It is true that perhaps Kelly has appeared in the press more than the other participants, and that her picture has been used as illustration more then the others for stories about Strictly.

However, that is the decision of the editors of these publications, and not anything to do with the BBC. Kelly has long been the darling of the red-tops, and they are interested in printing stories about her. It happens every year that one participant gets more coverage than the rest.

The other participants just have to prove themselves on the dancefloor.

Dominic: "I Love A Challenge"

There is a great little article on Dominic Littlewood on Echo-News.co.uk.

He says he's not used to dancing: "The only time I ever put one foot in front of the other is when I'm walking to the pub. But they came to me and asked me to do it. And you know me, I love a challenge."

He says that continuing with his duties on The One Show is proving quite tricky: "I'm filming all day for The One Show and then I'll go to a lesson in the evenings. I'm absolutely knackered!".