Strictly exclusive: is nobody safe?

We say every year NOBODY… but NOBODY is safe from the dreaded ‘dance off’ and no more was it true this week with Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh battling it out against Fern Britton.

With one or two other celebrities just a cat’s whisker away from the dance off I think no one was more surprised to land down in the bottom two than Kimberley herself.

Kimberley Walsh gave a graceful performance

Yet despite only a few foot faults, a slightly over exaggerated head position and a tad of a wobble on her arabesque balance turning step, we could all see her heart sink as she stood under the red spotlight, highlighting that she would have to dance again to save herself.

With an incredibly beautiful song choice, a stunning dress fit for any catwalk and in the professional arms of Pasha she just had to deliver a perfect performance and then await the judges’ vote to decide her fate.

Fern on the other hand was clearly resigned to the fact that she would be out of the show as soon as she saw who the other red light had landed on. It was clear to see she had conceded defeat before she had even danced.

With not a care in the world she took to the dance floor as a cleaning lady but left a dancing diamond. With her hips sizzling, her hot pink dress swooshing and a smile on her face that would light up the city all I can say is she went out with a bang.

Fern Britton certainly did go out with a bang!

And who would even think she would manage to get a tear from the eyes of “the Terminator” at the end. As they say “better late than never” as it was in this last performance that I finally saw Fern with that fire in her eyes I’d been waiting six weeks to see.

Another fight on the night which has to also be noted was not between our celebrity dancers this time but rather the judges who were each at logger heads over their opinions on the gracious performance from Louis and Flavia who stood there really quite dumbfounded for quite some time!

Did Louis Smith display a “drifting head”?

With comments from the judges that his timing was not right and that he should not be accenting count one in the Waltz (which you should), another referencing his head was drifting across (which Louis was right to do as his choreography warranted it), one arguing that his toe should have been pointed more (when he most certainly should not have) and finally one briefly saying there were no timing errors (when Louis had in fact, on a couple of occasions, fallen ahead of the music), I think we were all left dumb-founded at home as to what was really right and wrong with this performance!

Well it wouldn’t be Strictly Come Dancing if we didn’t have incredible highs and lows, shocks and surprises every Saturday night. And so, now we’re at the half way stage, it’s pretty clear that no one is safe, as with all reality TV shows, and that if we want our favourite to make it through, we’ve got to get voting.

Lisa Riley went cabaret

Richard Arnold camped it up

Nicky Byrne looked good on the dancefloor

It’s Wembley next week and I know we are all going to be in for an epic night of performances. Some will rise to the occasion and bring the 6000 people in the audience to their feet… others may fall into the trap of a dance floor melt-down as their nerves get the better of them.

Denise van Outen was on fire again

Either way I look forward to catching up with you again next week to see how Wembley was for our incredible remaining celebrities.

Speak to you all again soon!

Karen Hardy
Director of the Award Winning Karen Hardy Studios
“More Than a Dance Studio… an Experience”

Winner of Strictly Come Dancing Series 4
World Masters, United Kingdom, International
and British National Champion of Latin American Dance
Carl Alan & BDF Award Winner for Services to Dance

Did Fern deserve to go? Let us know below.