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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Will Mellor 'well miffed' as fans think he's upset Shirley Ballas after suffering malfunction

Fans of Strictly Come Dancing said Will Mellor was 'well miffed' after his first performance during the semi-final. The actor himself admitted to feeling 'rubbish' after his Paso Doble with Nancy Xu earned criticism from the judges.

Will, 46, went out all guns blazing for his intense routine to Uccen by Taalbi brothers and DWTS, so much so he appeared to suffer a wardrobe malfunction. As he headed over to speak to the BBC One dance contest's co-host Tess Daly, the Two Pints of Lager star said: "My button burst I think. My trousers are too tight."

It was soon time for the comments and head judge Shirley Ballas kicked off the slightly negative remarks by saying: "There was quite a few things missing in this dance," as the audience started to boo, she encouraged them to 'hang on' so she could have a moment to speak. "You had the arrogance part, fantastic," Shirley went on.

READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing fans say it's 'illegal' as they spot issue with the semi-final

“Basic fundamentals were very much missing for me. When you choose to use a cape you have to extend it, you can’t use it as a little scarf. I do believe you give 100% of your heart, but this is the semi-final." Meanwhile, Anton Du Beke said he thought Will "tried a bit too hard".

And Will clearly showed his disappointment across his face and after heading up to chat with Claudia Winkelman, who asked how he was feeling, the Bredbury-born star honestly admitted: "[I’m] feeling rubbish, I worked hard and I let her (Nancy) down a bit."

As his pro partner disagreed, he went on: "I'm not fishing for compliments; she taught me and I've gone too aggressive. She told me to calm and I....I just forgot a few fundamentals. I tried but it's tough, you know." After getting his scores, earning a respectable 32 out of a possible 40, Will told his partner he was 'sorry'.

And the reaction from the judges to Will's routine and his reaction to the comments appear to have divided Strictly viewers. @GarethW_1 tweeted: "Will looking well-miffed at being criticised; always a sign, to me, that they've got a bit too high on their own supply. #Strictly #SCD."

Shirley was critical of Will's routine (BBC)

@cptnwilliamson fumed: "Will acting like a spoiled brat when he gets criticism once, fleur and molly have been dealing with shirley’s criticism for weeks and never threw a fuss #strictly." @AuthorWriterEB wrote: "Did Will knock Shirley back at the Christmas party or something? Bit savage that Shirl. #StrictlyComeDancing."

@paul_y94 commented: "What’s Will done to p**s Shirley off? Omg #Strictly." @WhoPotterVian shared: "Shirley Ballas is a little harsh. Will Mellor's dance was excellent! #Strictly." @burgylane added: "I feel so sorry for Will , he was visibly upset after Shirley gave her critique #Strictly."

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