Strictly Come Dancing and Emmerdale star Lewis Cope dismissed claims about having an advantage on the show ahead of his surprise exit from the competition
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Lewis Cope has hit back at claims he’s a professional dancer, insisting he “wasn’t good enough” to land the lead role in Billy Elliot. The 30-year-old has found himself repeatedly having to defend his place on the BBC dance competition after his musical theatre past came to light, with critics arguing he holds an unfair edge over his fellow contestants.
This type of controversy rears its head virtually every series, with some viewers calling for a blanket ban on anyone with performance experience.
Addressing the accusations in an interview with The i Paper last month, he said: “First of all, if you look at the contestants over the years, I don’t think that’s ever been a rule.
“But, also, I’ve done no training as a dancer. I’m definitely not a professional. I guess it’s a bit of a compliment that people are calling me one.”
Lewis previously appeared in Billy Elliot The Musical, which opened doors to acting gigs on Emmerdale and Vera. Despite his stage and screen credentials, the performer maintains he’s nowhere near “a professional” dancer.
“I wasn’t good enough to play Billy, so I played his mate Michael – I did one tap dance on stage, that was it,” he explained.
“After that, I was in a hip-hop dance crew for a couple of years, but we were just six lads from Hartlepool in an amateur group.
“Then I went to train as an actor for three years, and that’s what I’ve been doing since.”
Last night, Lewis and his professional partner Katya Jones delivered a Salsa to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story during Musicals Week.
Whilst many viewers applauded their performance, the judging panel felt it fell short of a perfect 40, suggesting it wasn’t his strongest routine.
In a surprising turn of events, Lewis became the ninth celebrity eliminated from the competition after losing the dance-off to Amber Davies. Reflecting on his journey, he shared with presenter Tess Daly: “It’s been more than I could have ever wished for.
“If someone would have said that I’d have done 11 weeks on the show at the beginning, I’d have been over the moon and snap their hand off.
“So, thank you to the full show, to everyone for having a space where people can be themselves, grow, learn, express themselves.
“It’s been incredible and a memory that I’ll have for the rest of my life, and [to Katya] I think it’s all down to you.
“You’ve literally given me absolutely everything I could wish for as a friend, as a teacher, and yeah, I couldn’t imagine it with anybody else. So, thank you very much.”
The four remaining pairs – Amber and Nikita, Karen Carney and Carlos Gu, George Clarke and Alexis Warr, plus Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon – will battle it out next week for a place in the grand final.
Source: Mirror
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