Strictly star Brendan Cole revealed he did not believe Karen Carney deserved a score of 10 last weekend in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Daily.
On Saturday (November 8), Karen and her professional dance partner Carlos Gu performed a Charleston to a mashup of Upside Down by Diana Ross and Think by/Aretha Franklin.
Following their energetic dance, Karen and Carlos placed joint third on the leaderboard. Judge Motsi Mabuse enjoyed it so much, she gave the couple a perfect score of 10.
Strictly star Karen Carney ‘did not deserve a 10’
The following night, Karen and Carlos were saved by the public and avoided the dreaded dance-off.
While speaking to ED!, former Strictly pro Brendan Cole, who competed on the show between 2004 and 2017, admitted he was not impressed with Motsi’s score, insisting it was not deserved.
On behalf of Sky Vegas, he said: “Karen Carney’s Charleston did not deserve a 10. A 10 for that number doesn’t add up. You look at the two of them – Carlos [Gu] and Karen [Carney] – and yes, they both did a great job, but Carlos danced his socks off next to her, and that showed her weakness as a performer.”
Brendan continued: “When the judges said, ‘I couldn’t tell who the professional was’, I could. It’s a lovely thing to say to boost someone’s confidence, but make no mistake, it wasn’t a 10.”
‘It wasn’t out of this world’
He didn’t completely slam Karen, however. Brendan said it was “really good number” which was performed “brilliantly”. That said, he insisted it “wasn’t out of this world”.
“You can’t compare her to what Carlos was doing – it’s chalk and cheese. That said, for a celebrity, for a football player who’s had spinal fusion issues, she did a brilliant job with what she was given,” Brendan added.
Aside from Moti’s 10, Anton Du Beke gave the pair a 9. Meanwhile, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood awarded them an 8.
Read more: Strictly star Carlos Gu ’emotional’ as he supports ‘critical’ Karen Carney
Strictly continues at 6:25pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday (November 15).
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