Strictly star Katya Jones hits back at judges’ criticism of Lewis Cope following viewer backlash
Katya and Lewis placed second on the leaderboard but came under fire from the judges
Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones has defended the judges’ criticism of her dance partner Lewis Cope.
On Saturday night (October 4), the couple performed a Viennese waltz to Teddy Swims’ Lose Control and found themselves second on the leaderboard with a score of 27.
They managed to avoid the dreaded bottom two, despite viewers declaring him a “show off”. However, even with a high score, that didn’t stop the panel of judges from having strong opinions.
Lewis and Katya placed second on the leaderboard last weekend (Credit: BBC)
Strictly stars Katya Jones and Lewis Cope on It Takes Two
Anton Du Beke praised their dance for its “raw power”. That said, he said he would like to see a little more “refinement”.
Craig Revel Horwood also shared: “In this dance, you almost need to think like a swan… I felt your natural and reversed terms were a little bit up and down.”
Meanwhile, head judge Shirley Ballas insisted their performance was “too aggressive”.
On Monday night (October 6), the Russian dancer and former Emmerdale actor appeared on Strictly’s companion show It Takes Two. While speaking to host Janette Manrara, the pair discussed Saturday night.
On the dance itself, Lewis Cope said: “It was crazy in there, I wasn’t expecting it to blow up so much in terms of the atmosphere. I almost missed the beginning of the song. It was brilliant, I love that dance.”
Katya responded to the judges’ comments (Credit: BBC)
‘There’s two sides to how I feel about it’
However, Katya addressed the judges’ comments, admitting she felt divided.
“I have been thinking about it a lot, genuinely. There’s two sides to how I feel about it. As a pro, I really would have loved for judges to vocalise what he did do,” she said, adding: “All the steps he spent hours and hours learning, they were there, every single Viennese Waltz Step including what he did on his own.
“On the other side, dancing is an art form. We put on this number together, the way we felt was right for us. In any art, there will be opinions of people who connect with it and those not so much.”
She continued: “We’re here to create what feels right and share it with people. Let the judges have their bit. Of course, technically, we’re still learning. It’s week two. We never compromise the dancing and that’s really important.”
This weekend (October 11), Strictly celebrates Movie Week, with the pair dancing a paso doble inspired by The Mask of Zorro.
News
For Four Years, I Restored My Family’s Life With My Money. But When They Came To My City And Still Refused To See Me, I Found The Crack That Couldn’t Be Repaired.k
# I Stopped Setting the Table for People Who Never Came My name is Sophia Taylor, and for most of my life, I mistook being useful for being loved. That is not the kind of truth a person admits easily….
The Waitress Took His Cruel Bet In Silence. But When She Returned In Red, The Man Who Mocked Her Learned She Already Owned Half His World.k
# The Waitress in Red Alex Carrington believed every room changed when he entered it. That was the first thing Elena Marlowe noticed about him. Not his tailored navy suit, though it fit him like it had been stitched onto…
The Little Girl Never Opened The Takeout Box. But When He Followed Her Into The Dark, He Found Out Why She Had Been Lying Every Night.k
The man thought he was giving away dinner. Just one white takeout box. Just one warm meal handed to one hungry little girl standing outside a restaurant, watching strangers eat through the glass as if she had forgotten what it…
The Wheelchair Hid What The Little Girl Was Too Scared To Say. But When The Water Hit Her Legs, Her Father Finally Saw The Truth.k
The first thing Daniel Reeves heard when he stepped out of the car was his daughter screaming. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just one broken little sound, caught between fear and shame, the kind of sound a child makes when…
The Doghouse Kept The Children’s Screams Hidden. But When Their Father Found One Tiny Shoe Inside, His Wife’s Deadliest Secret Came Out.k
The first thing Daniel Whitmore noticed when he stepped through the golden gates was the silence. Not peace. Not the soft, expensive quiet that usually floated around the estate like perfume. This silence was different. It had weight. It…
The Little Girl Had Only Eleven Cents And A Promise. But When A Hotdog Vendor Fed Her Anyway, The Whole City Discovered Who She Really Was.k
The little girl had only three coins, and she counted them like they were all that stood between her and disappearing forever. Two nickels. One penny. Eleven cents. They rested in the center of her dirty palm, small and…
End of content
No more pages to load
