Kai Widdrington dismisses allegations of a ‘fix’ on BBC Strictly, while staunchly supporting Angela Rippon amidst the dance-off controversy
The seasoned dancer has partnered with Angela Rippon in two dance-offs to date.
Angela Rippon’s dance partner, Kai Widdrington, has staunchly defended the 79-year-old, asserting that she rightfully earned her place in Blackpool Week on Strictly Come Dancing despite allegations of a “fix” from certain fans.
The esteemed broadcaster has faced criticism from some BBC viewers regarding the choreography assigned to her throughout the series. Additionally, accusations have surfaced, accusing the judges of exhibiting bias by scoring Rippon more generously than her fellow competitors.
In the last two weeks, Rippon found herself in the dance-off, successfully outperforming Adam Thomas and a visibly “heartbroken” Krishnan Guru-Murthy, securing her position for Blackpool Week through a combination of public votes and judges’ scores.
Controversy escalated after Rippon’s most recent dance-off victory, where she appeared to make a mistake with her standing leg during her routine. Despite this hiccup, Rippon expressed confidence in her performance, stating, “No, I didn’t think I’d leave. I mean, I don’t know why it happened; I think the floor was slippery or my shoe was slippy. But no, Kai still had hold of me, and I knew what I had to do next and managed to do it.”
Discussing Sunday’s dance-off, Rippon reflected on the unique nature of their performance, stating, “The dance was quite different from anything we’ve done before. If you’ve ever danced the Paso, people love the Paso and they expect it to be a strong dance with a strong body and technical footwork. But there’s passion, there’s pride, there’s all of that in it, and that’s what we practiced all week.”
In the same interview, Widdrington was questioned about his confidence level after the dance-off, to which he responded, “(I was) confident because Angela’s been there before, we did it the week before. There was no way on earth I was letting go of her if the foot slipped, if it completely fell off the floor I wasn’t letting go of her.”
Defending their position in the competition, he asserted to It Takes Two host Fleur East, “We did enough, we had a good score. I think you deserved your place at Blackpool so that’s why we’re here.”
As they prepare for their Blackpool performance on Saturday, Rippon and Widdrington are set to take on the challenge of an American Smooth to the classic Ella Fitzgerald track, “Tea For Two.”
It remains uncertain whether they possess the prowess to win over Strictly fans and advance further in the competition. However, for now, there’s a contestant who viewers are convinced will dazzle the dancefloor.
Layton Williams, assigned a Couple’s Choice routine with pro partner Nikita Kuzmin for Blackpool Week, is the focus of attention. Despite narrowly missing a perfect score last weekend due to Craig Revel Horwood’s nine paddle, fans are now confident that Williams is “guaranteed” to secure a flawless score with the given routine.
Yet, he will encounter strong competition from soap star Ellie Leach, who has emerged as the current frontrunner to clinch victory. Leach is set to perform the Charleston to the Girls Aloud hit “Love Machine” alongside her pro partner Vito Coppola.
