Strictly star Vincent Simone has admitted he was not impressed with contestant Alex Kingston last week in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Daily.
On Saturday (November 8), Alex and her partner Johannes Radebe performed a paso doble to Amparito Roca by Jamie Texidor. Compared to her previous dances, the judges had mixed opinions.
Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke both gave a score of 8. Meanwhile, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood believed it deserved a 7.
On the leaderboard, Alex and Johannes placed second to last with a score of 30.
Strictly star Alex Kingston ‘disappointed’ Vincent Simone
Speaking exclusively to ED! on behalf of Paddy Power, former professional Vincent, who competed on the hit BBC show between 2006 and 2012, opened up about who he thinks will make it to Blackpool next week.
“The show is still open and depends a lot on what dances everyone gets,” he said. However, he was less than impressed with Alex’s paso doble over the weekend.
“I was disappointed with Alex last week – that routine should have suited her perfectly because it had all the drama and acting that she’s good at, but she didn’t deliver as I expected her to,” Vincent continued.
Alex also seemed let down as she was visibly emotional and started to cry during her interview upstairs with host Claudia Winkleman.
On the other hand, Vincent is confident that Lewis Cope, Karen Carney, Amber Davies and Vicky Pattison will make it to Blackpool.
“George [Clarke] can be brilliant or struggle depending on the style. La Voix has had some good performances but still lacks technique,” he added.
“But as always, it all comes down to how they perform on the night.”
‘I never expected her to be this good’
While critiquing other dances, Vincent said Amber’s “salsa was good”, but he would have liked “more traditional movement from her”.
He continued: “Lewis was brilliant – he is just exceptional and really stepping it up now. Everyone’s working hard, and you can see the competition is pushing them.”
That said, former Lioness Karen has “impressed” him the most: “I never expected her to be this good, but since her Argentine tango and Charleston, she’s been incredible.”
Read more: Concerns for teary Strictly star Alex Kingston amid ‘very serious problem’
What do you think of this story? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix. We want to hear your thoughts!