Strictly Come Dancing’s Pete Wicks has sparked controversy and calls for “disqualification” after a move deemed “illegal” on Saturday’s show.
During the latest episode, Pete and Jowita performed their Rumba to Don’t Look Back In Anger, igniting a backlash with Craig Revel Horwood fiercely criticising an illicit aspect of their dance. Craig said: “And as for the lifts, that is totally illegal.
“There were two lifts. One foot should remain on the floor at all times. Of course, a professional would be marked down for that. I think even a disqualification darling, because I think you should follow the rules.”
Motsi Mabuse immediately intervened, assuring that they would never disqualify them. Craig then conceded: “I do like seeing how committed you are to this. I can see very clearly you have been studying and studying and studying.”
The BBC series resumed tonight for another instalment, with the stars and their partners taking to the floor once more, all vying for a spot in the following week. Montell Douglas with Johannes Radebe are showing off their Couple’s Choice, Punam Krishan alongside Gorka Marquez are set for a Viennese Waltz, reports the Mirror.
Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin quickstepped their way through the competition while Sarah Hadland with Vito Coppola took on a Samba. Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec did a tango.
Elsewhere on the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor, Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell waltzed their way through this week’s performance, while Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas did a Pasodoble. JB Gill and Amy Dowden jived while Paul Merson and Karen Hauer did a samba.
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu danced an American Smooth to the sounds of Sam Smith. Meanwhile, Wynne Evans and Katya Jones quickstepped back into action after a week mired in controversy.
The pair had been embroiled in a media storm following an “inside joke” that horribly backfired. Footage showing an exchange between Wynne and Katya went viral, with claims by fans that she appeared uncomfortable.
However, the professional dancer has since refuted any discomfort, explaining that it was all in jest. A visibly upset Wynne said on Monday: “I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day. It’s not nice to live in that time, but basically Katya and I are really, really close and we’re really good friends, and on Saturday night we made a stupid joke. It was a stupid joke that went wrong, OK? We thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny. It has been totally misinterpreted.”
Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer