Strictly fans have slammed the "shocking" scores Ellie Taylor received which left her in tears as she apologised to her dance partner.
The Ted Lasso actress delivered a dramatic Rumba to Alone by Heart along with her professional dance partner Johannes Radebe on Saturday night. However, the judges called the dance "stiff" and the pair scored a measly 22 with Craig giving the dance a 3 and Shirley awarding 5.
Craig Revel Horwood said: "I felt it was a little bit stiff, actually, and it felt like you were just walking around. There was actually no resistance and any sort of hip action and that’s what we’re looking for mainly in this dance, and therefore it lacked passion, I’m afraid."
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Shirley Ballas noted it was one of the most difficult dances but agreed that it lacked "fluidity and flexibility" which she feels is essential to a Rumba. Ellie admitted she had found getting into the emotion of the dance difficult and got very emotional after the dance when talking to Claudia.
Ellie got quite emotional as she said: "Every other dance we've done it's been quite playful and the rumba is so different and it's the most emotional and serious sort of dance to do. I think I've really tried to lean into it but I have found it really hard to take myself seriously and it's very different to what we've done."
She then turned to her partner and said: "I'm just so sorry that they didn't like it," to which Johannes said: "No, babe," and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Ellie was also comforted by host Claudia Winkleman who reminded her of the positive comments Anton made about her footwork.
Visibly upset, Ellie put on a brave face as the scores came in, but fans called the scores "shocking" and "far too harsh". One said: "Still fuming for the 3 & 5 for Ellie & Johannes," while another said: "Everyone use all 3 votes for Ellie & Johannes because those scores were a complete farce". A third said: "Is it just me or were the judges way too harsh on Ellie T?!"
Meanwhile, Tyler West and Dianne Buswell also received some criticism from the judges after performing an elegant Viennese Waltz to I’ve Been Loving You Too Long by Seal for their routine on Saturday night.
The Kiss FM DJ glided across the dancefloor to land a score of 29. Craig Revel Horwood said the dance was a bit "too pedestrian" and felt their transition needed to be "more graceful", but praised West’s dancing ability.
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