Strictly Come Dancing is currently in its milestone 20th series, and one judge who has been on the BBC competition since day one is the resident “villain” of the panel Craig Revel Horwood.
The seasoned dancer and judge has always been known for his no-nonsense feedback towards the amateur celebrity contestants and their professional partners, often eliciting chants of disagreement from the live audience.
This series, Revel Horwood, 59, has maintained his honest approach, but it’s been noted by many he seems to have softened with his criticisms.
The Australian-born choreographer now seems to end his critiques with a few positive remarks to soften the blow, causing some long-term fans of the show to question the apparent attitude U-turn.
Speaking exclusively to GB News through Jackpotjoy, former Strictly favourite Vincent Simone, who left the series in 2012, became one of the latest to voice his doubts about Revel Horwood’s new tactic.
Applauding the judge’s once-brutally honest ways, the 45-year-old commented: “To be honest, now that I think about it, it’s one thing that I spotted for years.
“Every time Craig judges a couple, it starts with, ‘Lumpy, blah, blah, stumpy… But I loved it!’ And then the score doesn’t match the bad comments.
“It’s one thing that he’s always been renowned for, but I love it. I love the fact that he does say the truth, sometimes over exaggerating on some of the comments negatively.”
He went on to question the motives for the sudden change, adding: “But then at the end, he loved the performance.
“It was entertaining, I don’t see why they made a point of it now this year, which is something that I have noticed since my years on Strictly.”
Simone also shared his opinions on this year’s contestants as the competition begins to heat up while they approach the famous Blackpool Week.
Comedian Chris McCausland, 47, has been named for weeks as one of the favourites to win.
While his dancing has been applauded by judges and viewers alike, he’s struggled to reach the upper end of the leaderboard.
Discussing whether he thinks McCausland would be a worthy winner, Simone stated: “We’ve seen on Strictly for the last 20 years, it’s not always the best dancers that wins.
“It’s everything combined together, when it comes to entertainment, he’s brilliant.
“When it comes to improvement, he’s improved so much, and he works very hard. He does have a lot more qualities than just being top of the leaderboard.”
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Touching on his own time on the show, he added: “For me and from past experiences, that doesn’t mean you’re never going to win Strictly.
“It’s a combination of all different aspects. He still can easily win and deserves to win the show. It doesn’t mean he has to be on top of the leaderboard.
“It would be amazing and I’m sure he will because he leaves the audience wanting him to do extremely well and the expectation of him that eventually would get the perfect four 10s.
“One year, when I danced with Rachel Stevens, I was top of the leaderboard. Every single week. I had more tens than anybody else and still hold some records. We didn’t win but came second. But, I was satisfied because I did my job perfectly.”