Strictly pro slams judges scoring again and points out couple was unfairly ‘overmarked’
FORMER Strictly pro James Jordan has slammed the judges for "overmarking" Ellie Leach in a scathing new video.
Fiery James hasn't held back with his opinions this series and the actress's semi-final performance is the latest to come under fire.
Speaking to Hello!, James took serious issue with the 38 score that Ellie and professional partner Vito Coppola received for their Couple's Choice routine.
He said: "I would have given it a seven or eight maximum. Everyone knows I've been flying the flag for Ellie and Vito all the way through. Love them.
"This, for me, was her worst dance by a country mile. I hated the music, really didn’t like the routine; I thought it was heavy, I thought it was slow, the lifts and transitions were messy, they made mistakes and this, for me, is the reason I hate Couple's Choice.
"How the judges were giving her 9, 9, 10, 10? I have no idea, they must have been watching another dance to me."
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His assessment of Ellie's performance comes after he claimed Layton Williams was so good that he was "making a mockery" of the show.
The Bad Education star scored a full 40 for two of his three dances on Saturday night, while his Rumba only fared slightly worse with a 36.
James said West End star Layton's appearance had 'tainted' what Strictly was truly about, inferring that no other competitor stood a chance next to the star.
James added: "Is that what Strictly is supposed to be? Is that what Strictly has come to that we have fully-trained dancers on the show? For me, it’s not what Strictly is supposed to be.
"It was so good, but what is everyone else supposed to do? So for me, I would say to anyone who is thinking of doing Strictly, don’t do Strictly unless you’re a trained dancer."
Despite his critique of Ellie, she still made it through to the series finale, alongside Layton and Bobby Brazier.
Annabel Croft was the unfortunate celebrity to miss out, losing to Bobby in the dance-off.
