If according to Richard Dunwoody this is true "I don't regret doing it and I got as far as I could in four weeks, but it would have been great to have had another four weeks practice or even seven months intraining like Ricky Whittle!"

It is totally wrong to allow him to take part as he is starting from a totally unfair advantage and he has already killed any competition between the remaining contestants and ruined most of the excitement, when we can guess the winner after just two weeks.

No different to Austin's 6 months training before last years SCD...allegedly.

Where has this come from. Any links?

The exclaimation mark in journalese tends to indicate a statement made in jest.

Is that true??!

He does come across as a tad overconfident and I think he's quite overrated, compared to someone like Laila, who in my opinon, didn'tg et the marks she deserved.

Wow, 7 months, how unfair if true, it makes the whole thing a farce not a dance show.

I very much hope it isn't true. The main page is depressing enough as it is without another explosion going off

I would love to see the link. In his defence IF he has had lessons then it would make sense if he has to work 12 hour days on the set of Hollyoaks. Also, being filmed on YouTube doing a Fred Astaire number didn't do any harm to Tom's chances.

http://www.racingpost.com/blog/horse...creens/636274/

It was posted originally on the Richard and Lilia thread earlier today. 4th paragraph down I feel okay about it but I understand if other don't. xx

If Ricky's amount of pre-show training turns out to be true that will likely affect his public vote some what so I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that he'll win.

It certainly hasn't ruined SCD for me. This is the link, but I think more information is needed before Ricky is damned like this.

Austin publicly denied taking lessons to train for SCD btw.

It might be a good idea for Ricky to do the same then, Buddy Strictly doesn't want to hand The Daily Mail and Co another stick to beat them with if they can help it...

Thanks Rubydoll and BuddyBontheNet. It does seem more like an off the cuff remark rather than a damning statement. Let's be fair there are a lot of competitors who could have 7 months training and still not reach the same standard.

Just out of interest, how far in advance do the competitors know they've been chosen?

Seven months training? I didn't know that. If true it says something about his competetive streak.

Well there it is in black and white, it looks like Richard has just blown the whistle and exposed Ricky, now for the procession of excuses. Will we get a denial from Ricky?

Thinking about it in one of Richard's early clips (it might have been at the launch), he did say something about definitely being the worst male celeb dancer and he wished he'd taken some lessons 'like some of the other people here'.

This is the News of the World story about previous training

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/show...a-classes.html

which is a lot less than 7 months. If he has had this training I'm sure the papers will say so, so I think it's fair to give him the benefit of the doubt until we know more. Richard may just be believing gossip because it understandably makes him feel better. Whatever the truth, I think the best on the first week very rarely wins and I think it's going to be hard for him to show improvement, which leaves room for someone else to beat him by improving. On what we've seen so far personally I can't see myself voting for him as there are several I like more (this means nothing, though, my favourites never win). I think it's wide open this year.

This revelation hasn't spoiled this series for me.

But it does explain why Ricky is so good so early. And it has cost him my vote (not that I was especially drawn to him anyway) because I prefer watching the celebrities to learn from scratch. That's the whole point of the show.

Of course you will do well if you've had a head start.

to be honest even if it is true, I don't think it has. I think the public still prefer contestants on a "journey" rather than those who were brilliant from the off. I will be suprised if he wins.

Just thinking that Let's Dance for Comic Relief was in March so Ricky would have been training for that seven months ago (albeit very different dancing).

Maybe that was what Richard was talking about.

Even if it is true it isn't like he is miles ahead some of the others plus the comic relief thing was pretty rubbish.

More to the point, it's salsa classes.


Blimey, I remember the fuss about Jill Halfpenny - a few salsa classes? Big flamin' deal. It's totally useless when you're learning to waltz, and it's possibly even harmful when you're learning to rumba, because it's close enough to be dangerous.

What next? Are we going to complain because people are young? Fit? Good-looking? Have natural rhythm?

Christ...

oooh can we complain about that??

maybe we can start a thread demanding the bbc only use people who are proven to ahve 2 left feet so they can all go on a journey together

Or maybe we should dedicate a series asking Fiona Philips, Carol Voderman, Gary Rhodes, Jimmy Turbuck (after paying for his health insurance), Phil Daniels, Christopher Parker (yeah!), Jan Ravens, Kate Garroway et al. to come back again.

Sure will be a ratings triumph over X-Factor!

yeh we're always having an all stars who are the best of the best of the best SIR line up

we should be allowed to have a SCD car crash line up

Oh! Oh! How can I foget: John Sargent!