Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood blames Katya for crossing the line with Seann

STRICTLY’S Seann Walsh and Katya Jones continued to draw flak today — despite surviving Saturday’s show with their spirited rendition of the Charleston — with both judge Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke lining up to criticise them.

First pro dancer Du Beke stuck the boot in — despite getting the boot himself with partner Susannah Constantine in the first round — saying that he thought the pair had been judged ‘kindly’ on Saturday, after both were caught up in a media furore when they were caught cheating on their partners last week.

Then judge Revel Horwood put the blame squarely ‘in Katya’s court’ for the highly publicised snog the pair shared, since she is the ‘teacher’ in an essentially student/teacher relationship.

Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, Anton said: ‘I thought they were… kindly marked on the night … [receiving] higher marks than I would have thought the dance deserved.’

He wasn’t wholly down on the pair, however, saying they did have ‘great performance value’ but adding that ‘technically it wasn’t brilliant’.

Anton also shot down the idea that Seann and Katya only survived to dance another day because the judges went easy on them after the scandal.

Meanwhile, speaking on ITV’s Loose Women, judge Revel Horwood didn’t comment on over-marking, but he did have strong views about Katya’s role in the indiscretion.

‘I would put the ball in Katya’s court — she should not have allowed it to happen,’ he said.

‘She is married; he is in a relationship but is no longer. It’s a teacher snogging a student, isn’t it?’

Again though, Craig was not completely damning of the pair, saying he thought they were ‘brave’ to face the music and, quite literally, dance.

‘I thought they were brave to come back on the show and do their dance of shame,’ he said.

‘That has to be done, if you’ve snogged someone at the Christmas party that you shouldn’t have.

‘I think you’ve got to face the music and dance. They did and I’m glad they did. They are there to be professional.’

Author: Anna Thomson