Former Strictly Come Dancing pro-dancer James Jordan has criticized Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s unexpected exit from the show and said that “weak” pro-dancers should quit too soon.
Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan has weighed in on hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s shock exit from the show. Whilst praising the pair, he added that ‘weak’ pro dancers should follow them out.
Tess and Claudia announced their departure from the show on Thursday (23 October) in a joint video, where they said: “After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside.”
They added that they are bound by a collective bargain. Tess referred to Strictly as her “third child” and “second family” in a separate statement, promising to continue watching but felt the need to “hand over the reins.”
Among the celebrities giving their thoughts on the situation was James Jordan, who performed as a professional dancer on the series for eight years and whose partners included Denise Van Outen and Vanessa Feltz. He said the pair’s departure was a “big statement” but had nothing to do with the show’s recent scandals.
READ MORE: ‘Solid headphones with rich sound’ drop to cheapest ever price weeks before Black FridayREAD MORE: Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s likely Strictly Come Dancing female replacements revealed
James told the Daily Mail, “It’s a big statement for them both to leave at once.” He continued, saying that “the scandals have no bearing on them” and that “things like that happen on a daily basis in all walks of life” doesn’t mean that the pair was exempt from the show.
He added that Strictly should also change their lineup of professional dancers. There needs to be more fresh blood in the professionals right now, according to the pro dancers. You need to know when to hang up your shoes, because it’s unfair for some pros on the show to do that.
James, who is married to fellow pro-dancer Ola Jordan, was infamous during his Strictly run for his hot-headed nature and conflicts with judge Craig Revel Horwood.
In 2011, the two were thought to be in feud after Craig scored James and his One Show partner Alex Jones a six for their charleston, outraging the dancer so much, he was reported to have stormed out of the studio.
His wife stayed for another two years while James left the show in 2013. Ola did so in series seven with Chris Hollins, but James also never won.
Additionally, James discussed who should take Tess and Claudia in place. Bradley Walsh and Tess’ own husband Vernon Kay suggested that the radio host belonged to an “underrated host.”
Roman Kemp was called an “outside the box” pick by him and added him to the mix. Then James added Stacey Dooley and Rylan Clark, two of his current favorites. Rylan may have been a better choice for him, but Stacey might have been, but not James’.
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply