The competition is heating up on , with the contestants now having reached the quarter-final. With less celebrities left in the running for the Glitterball trophy, the judges’ critiques are getting tougher and more thorough.
The judges – , Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke – haven’t held back when delivering feedback to the this year’s celebrities, especially Craig, who is known for being very hard to impress on the One show.
However, his comments about and Vito Coppola’s latest routine saw host Claudia Winkleman wonder whether a subtle ‘feud’ was brewing between Craig and Sarah. Claudia took the opportunity to quiz Craig as she sat backstage on Strictly for a debriefing with the judges.
“So, Craig I don’t want us to fall out. Last week, you said Sarah was too perfect, this week you said there wasn’t enough chemistry. Is there beef?” Claudia asked him.
However, he was quick to shut down any speculation of an emerging feud. Craig turned to co-star Shirley as he joked: “Only between Shirley and I! You loved it didn’t you?” Shirley then confirmed: “I loved it!”
Claudia Winkleman interviewed the Strictly judges about their latest scores (Image: BBC)
Craig went on to justify the comments he’d made during Saturday’s live show, before insisting each judge justs simply has a “personal choice” when it comes to performances.
He added: “I loved it too, I just felt like there could have been a little bit more connection and that’s all. That’s my only beef, if you like, about it. I think she could have engaged her middle section of her body a little bit more, using her ribs as well as. She does tend to go a little bit square in there.”
The star concluded: “I mean, that’s why there’s four different people on the panel. I prefer one thing, and that’s just a personal choice. Obviously, Shirley has every right to hand out those tens.”
Craig addressed claims of a ‘feud’ on Strictly (Image: BBC)
Craig and Shirley agreed to disagree about certain performances on Strictly (Image: BBC)
The quarter-final is due to take place on Saturday, 30 November. The results will determined who is going through to the semi-final, before the grand final takes place on 14 December.
The contestants still remaining in the competition at present are , , , , and .
returns this Saturday at 7.05pm on One and iPlayer.