The wife of a Strictly Come Dancing star has voiced her disapproval over ‘experienced dancers’ participating in the show.
Chris Robshaw, 39, and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova found themselves near the bottom with a mere 14 points on Saturday’s first live show after performing the Samba.
The former England rugby ace narrowly escaped being at the foot of the leaderboard, with entertainment reporter Ross King earning just 10 points.
However, following the announcement that West End performer Amber Davies, who has previous dance experience, was stepping in for the injured Dani Dyer, Chris’s wife Camilla Kerslake has criticised the decision as ‘unfair’.
Former Love Islander Amber Gill commented on an Instagram post: “Unpopular opinion: I think having people with so much dance experience is unfair.”
View 3 Images Chris Robshaw found himself in the bottom two alongside partner Nadiya Bychkova on Strictly (Image: BBC)
Camilla quickly responded, stating: “The experience differences are absolutely wild. Definitely.” However, @lesley_drury argued against the criticism of the show for casting celebrities with past experience, insisting: “It’s never gonna be a level playing field and every contestant knows when they sign up [that] there’s always been people with dance experience.”
Despite the backlash Amber has received alongside Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, who also has prior dance experience, neither Strictly contestants have Latin or Ballroom training.
Strictly star Oti Mabuse has also defended Amber as the BBC dismissed reports of behind-the-scenes ‘fury’. However, it seems that the competition Chris is up against on the show isn’t his only worry, as he addressed the infamous ‘Strictly curse’ earlier this week.
There are numerous examples of celebrities who were already in relationships finding love with their fellow contestants or professional dance partners, from Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell to Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev.
But Chris views these rumours as the ultimate compliment.
“Surely if people think there’s something going on between us, we must be doing something right,” he quipped to The Sun.
View 3 Images The wife of Strictly’s Chris Robshaw, Camilla, criticised people taking part in Strictly who have prior experience (Image: PA)
“Nadiya and I are a team, both totally focused on the dancing and giving it our all week by week. She’s a world champion, a top athlete, and I massively respect her. It’s just down to me to deliver the rest – so no pressure. We are a team, and we want to head in the same direction – and that is hopefully not in the bottom two.”
The former rugby player tied the knot with opera singer Camilla, 37, in 2018 and they have two children together. Chris added: “Camilla and I are solid, she’s incredibly supportive, and we have a lot of trust in our marriage.”
Former Love Island star Amber, who scored 27 points in her first show for a Waltz, is partnered with Nikita Kuzmin. But surprisingly, it was ex-Lioness turned sports journalist Karen Carney, 38, who emerged as the leader on the night.
Karen, together with her professional dance partner Carlos Gu, achieved a score of 31 points with their Jive routine, placing them at the top of the leaderboard.