It's been a tough week for Strictly Come Dancing’s Fleur East. Once a favourite, fans were shocked and outraged when she ended up in last week’s bottom two dance-off.
And despite her surviving to waltz another week, the drama did not end with the show’s credits.
Head Judge Shirley Ballas, 64, has been fighting a tirade of abuse all week, with angry fans unfairly claiming she’s “sexist” in her marking and even calling for her to be sacked.
The outpouring of hatred was sparked when she revealed she would have saved Richie Anderson instead of Fleur in the dance-off had she not been outnumbered by the other judges.
Such was the vitriol behind the “hurtful and explicit” trolling that Shirley called it “unfathomable”.
Now Fleur, 34, has come forward to speak about the upset with a plea to so-called fans to back off from “unfair” criticism of Shirley.
She says: “It was a rough Sunday night. It was horrible, it was bittersweet. The judges chose to save me but it was the worst feeling ever. Yet I’m alive, I’m still standing, I survived.”
Of the Twitter abuse she says: “Oh my goodness, I couldn’t believe it. There’s a lot of heat in the cha cha chat room. And I think it’s really unfair, actually.
“I have the utmost respect for all the judges. But Shirley...if you’ve not seen her dance, she’s incredible.
“So, any time I stand there I’m like ‘Just give me the notes, what do I have to do?’”
And while fans were quick to claim Shirley was harsher on Fleur than some of the lower-end-of-the-table men, The former X Factor star was quick to take on board the dance legend’s advice.
She says: “I’m here to learn, so I’m going to take the criticism and do better next time.”
East London-born Fleur and pro partner Vito Coppola kicked off their Strictly experience in style, scoring 29 out of 40 for a sizzling cha cha before getting another 29 for Saturday’s American smooth.
But the singer admits the competition has been harder than she expected – which is saying a lot considering she made it to the final four in 2018’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
She says: “Honestly it is so much fun but at the same time it’s so much more challenging.
“I used to watch people on Strictly and think ‘Wow, look at that, they’re just smiling and floating across the floor’.
“When you’re actually doing it’s like ‘Oh my gosh, your feet, your neck, your head, your arms’, there’s so much you need to think about.
“It’s a lot of work to make it look smooth.”
Fleur shot to fame on The X Factor in 2014 with her performance of Uptown Funk.
Since finishing second she’s carved out a pop and TV career and also fronts the Hit Radio breakfast show.
But while known for her bold personality and infectious smile, behind the scenes Fleur secretly faces a daily crisis of confidence.
She says: “I have self doubt all the time. My whole life has been like that. I battle a lot.
“I put on my armour and just pretend I’m someone else when I’m performing. But inside I’m a real scaredy cat.
“I like to push myself because I get frustrated when I feel fear is holding me back. I don’t want my fears to cripple me in life so I just try to silence them and push through.
“I used to sing in my house but alone. I’d lock myself in my room and sing by myself. If my parents came in I’d get really shy and upset.
“They’d ask me to sing for the family and I’d have to do it facing the wall.”
It’s been a difficult few years for Fleur. Her father Malcolm died from a heart attack in 2020. They had always watched Strictly together.
She’s doing the show in memory of him and he is a big part of her secret ritual every time before she steps on to the floor.
Fleur explains: “The first thing I do is find my family in the audience.
“Then I look at Vito. He always gives me that reassuring ‘We’re okay’.
“And then I touch my dad’s ring. I never take it off. I feel him with me, then we’re good to go.”
Just before the series started, Fleur’s cousin visited a psychic and was told Malcolm wanted to tell Fleur he was “so proud of her”.
Fleur called it “eerie but comforting”. The other man in her life, stylist husband Marcel Badaine-Robin, is as obsessed with Strictly as she is.
Fleur laughs: “When I come back from rehearsal all we do is talk about the dance.
“He watches the video, he gives me notes. He’s very supportive.”
Marcel hopes to design one of Fleur’s outfits for the show. She says: “He absolutely loves the outfits. He’s just mesmerised at how they turn it around so quickly.
“I think if I get a song or maybe a couple’s choice routine, something different, he’ll have more of an input in my outfit.”
While she’s happy to admit she often doubts herself, there’s one area where Fleur is confident.
So far on the show she’s flashed the flesh in a series of sexy outfits.
“I am confident with my body,” she says. “At 18 or 19 I was like ‘Okay, I’ve got big thighs. I don’t have big boobs. I’ve just got to accept who I am’.
“Then I got so focused on fitness I started to appreciate my body for what it can do more than what it looked like.
“Strictly is really good for that because these guys are athletes.”
Tomorrow night Fleur and Vito will be performing the Argentine tango to Ciara’s version of Paint it Black.
And not only are they hoping to avoid the dance-off but they’re also hoping to score a coveted 10 points.
Fleur smiles: “Let’s not lie. If we do it would be amazing. That’s like the cherry on the cake, isn’t it?”
And, of course, head judge Shirley could do with a bit of sugar from the fans as well.
