Dr Ranj Singh on Strictly: Seann was shocked to be saved over Vick
Radio Times' Strictly columnist talks about the impact of Vick Hope's shock departure — and how he's really hit a slump...
It’s safe to say that week five was full of surprises. First and foremost was the elimination of Vick and Graziano.
Now that came as a shock. Vick had all the attributes to go far: great attitude, amazing look and she was getting better and better each week. Her salsa for Movie Week is still one of my faves! On top of that, she was hugely popular, with us and with the public. The bookies definitely thought she would make it to the end!
However, Shirley and Craig weren’t impressed with her cha-cha, both giving her a score of four. That was a devastating blow for Vick, who had to be up at 4.30 every morning to do her radio show, before putting in all the hours for training.
She was clearly emotional backstage before going on for her final dance-off, and the atmosphere was a little tense. It was Shirley who had the final vote and Seann came out as the winner, which he admitted he was shocked about. But it just goes to show: anyone can be eliminated, regardless of what people might think!
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I’d had a pretty shocking week myself, too. For some reason I really hit a slump and struggled to get things to sink in. I guess I was starting to feel the pressure as it was ballroom time and I didn’t exactly get rave reviews before (let’s not talk about the quickstep, OK?).
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But one evening we were rehearsing at a local school, which happened to be where one of my friends teaches. Just as we were about to start the music, the stage curtains opened and there was my choir, the Adam Street Singers, giving us a beautiful rendition of Wouldn’t It Be Nice by the Beach Boys.
I was overcome with emotion and definitely shed a little tear. I’ve been part of the Singers for a few years. We’re an adult glee choir from all walks of life that shares a love of music and singing, but we’ve become like a little (well, not so little) family. I’d really missed rehearsing with them every Tuesday night, and seeing them that evening really gave me the boost I needed.
And it worked… I managed to score 25, which was 5 points higher than for my quickstep, and the judges definitely noticed an improvement in my technique. It made me wonder whether I should combine my love of singing and dancing and try to do something on stage… although with, my other jobs at the hospital and on TV, I’m not quite sure when I would do it. Panto would definitely be something I’d love to explore, though… especially having made a foray into it with the CBeebies Christmas show The Snow Queen, when I got to play the male lead!
Another nice surprise has been that all this training has definitely made me fitter and stronger, and consequently my body is changing shape. Having discovered that I actually have an ab, I’m working hard to develop five more so I’ll finally have that six-pack I’ve been longing for!
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 7:05pm on BBC1
