Oh my gosh. What are you on?

I'm an ex professional ballet dancer and have sprained ankles dozens of times. None are the same! After some, you get up, take some ibuprofen and are able to continue a show on pointe shoes, even when you do it during a show. Some force you to miss a few days. And some, when it damages the ligaments at the same time, or torn in my case, can have you off for months.

You can't cross the affected ankle over your good leg? I've never had issues with that do don't see it as suspect. these are not pros, so they haven't ever had to dance through pain, and it'll therefore affect them a great deal more.

I'm cynical at the best of times but don't understand what you're all thinking, both Jade and Laila seemed genuine and had reason to be in such pain.

Whether she did or didn't, I thought what was more telling was the reaction of the other dancers/celebs when she was talking to Claudia after the dance. None of them looked sympathetic. Chris kept looking at people and winking. Hayley is sat with her hand on her head, totally disinterested and when Laila said "it was a bit painful" then just look at Katya Virshilas right behind her. I can't describe the face but from that reaction plus the others not looking at all concerned/sympathetic I'd say that they were wondering about the severity of the injury too.

I think she's a fake, and it annoys me that she got away with it. The whole injury was dressed to be on display rather than disguised, which is what you'd do if you wanted to struggle on without a fuss. Flesh-coloured bandages are widely available these days - you don't have to use glaring white ones, and the dress could have been altered so that the long piece covered the injured leg. That's if you wanted to play it down of course.

Oh my goodness! Some people are so MEAN!

Do you know, the show is so much more enjoyable if you just take it all at face value?

I agree!
Did we have all this fuss when Ali hurt her toe? I'm no fan of Ali but I believed her, didn't question it at all.
So Laila even had control over what colour bandage the hospital put on? Wow she's good!

A lot of men do this when they are at a loss to know what to do in times of stress and anxiety.
Austin was wont to do that last year too.


Who she?

It's unbelievable isn't it? The poor girl was crying in agony and some people think she's lying? I think they are taking the show far too seriously if they think that!

Soz... got her name wrong.... Natalie.

Anyway, just found the reactions in the background odd, that's all...

Isn't she just?

For a few more pieces of silver she could have gotten one to match her dress too, don't you think?

I'm cynical but this year the comments really take the biscuit.

Best wishes to you and Jade, Laila.

What medics call 'soft tissue damage' can be as serious and as painful as a break - I know from experience.
I still have problems after such damage when I was a schoolgirl.
(And that wasn't yesterday before someone else says it )

It is unbelievable and cruel!

I'm not saying that we should all be completely gullible and believe every storyline the production team throw at us - but I am saying the show is so much more fun if you just sit back and join in with the general thrust of it all.

I'm also not saying that Laila's injury is as dramatic as the production story would have us believe - how can we know? But I am saying that appearing on live TV with even a minor injury when you're trying to a dance where you have to be sexy is probably very scary. You don't have to be at nigh on amputation point before it all gets too much and the tears well up and you can't go on.

The show is Saturday night variety. It's intended to be light but human drama combined with family entertainment. And by and large, that is what we get.

I really wish some posters would take a 'walk a mile in the other person's shoes' attitude to it all.

Thank Goodness - someone saw the same show as me!
Oops, sorry Bobby's girl

Second thoughts, not sorry at all but YAY!!

There was me thinking that the Strictly Come Dancing thread was the most mature thread on DS. I take it all back. Maybe all the Big Brother fans have come on here now. I am not a fan of Laila and do think she is one of weakest dancers left but i looked back at it again to make sure what i had seen and she was winching in pain through that performance.

I'm not a mean person and before I read all the this I was thinking the same thing...Laila didn't want to do the Rumba and the 'trip' was most fortunate..
The doctor said she could dance so she had no choice really with the live show about to begin. I would have had more faith in her had she battled on rather than give up. I think it was her attitude then and during training...moaning about not liking the dance which left me cold and unmoved about her so called injury.
Anton bless him is a man and a gent and would support her no matter what.

I've also sprained my ankle and it bloody hurt. The doctor told me to stay off it for a week and keep it elevated as much as possible. There is no way I could have stood it on - and the fact that the SCD doc passed her as fit for dancing tells me that it was a very minor ankle injury. When you have a compression bandage on the flesh at either end of it will always swell slightly - that's the nature of tightly bound cloth.

So I do reckon she was acting quite a lot and no doubt in a bit of pain but mainly feeling very sorry for herself.

Regardless of the severity or otherwise of the injury and whilst I respect the right of people to have a view on it, especially those present on the night I thought the reactions of Ms Virshilas in particular during both backstage and the results announcements were not particularly professional.

<katrinap mode>Do you have anything to back up your opinion?</katrinap mode>


Because, of course, it's very easy to have a legion of flesh-coloured bandadges on hand, and indeed a legion of dressmakers who can whip up new outfits in a few minutes.

In fact, I've heard the BBC has it's own hospital and dressmaking factory. Pah, that's where all our licence fee money goes.

Originally Posted by rita1
Flesh-coloured bandages are widely available these days - you don't have to use glaring white ones, and the dress could have been altered so that the long piece covered the injured leg.


Surely the only way to cover the injured leg completely would have been a full skirt down to her toes, and even then the dance required her to lift her leg thus putting it back on display.

So Claudia lied when she said her ankle was badly swollen?
If so then i think you shouldn't watch her show. Who knows what lies Claudia is spinning us as well. God it is scary. Maybe Bruce Forsyth was not sick as well and went out partying instead.

Perhaps in future anyone complaining of an injury in future has to have a doctors report complete with xrays? For goodness sake, some people will see a conspiracy in anything!

Well he was taking phonecalls from Ronnie!!! Does that sound like the actions of an octogenarian with flu?!

Lies, damned lies!! (and statistics)

Why don't you believe her? Any particular reason? Or do you just not like her?

sprained ankle or not, Laila and Anton are my least favourite partnership and I feel quite uncomfortable watching them

I know me and DH are mean but we were really laughing when she limped on and then continued to do so around the floor

it's only a sprained ankle ffs!!! if you can't dance on it then don't, but don't play the martyr and limp around

I've no doubt that Laila was in pain but, I have to say (even when I saw her with an ice pack over her boot) I didn't question the seriousness of her injury until Anton said "I told you" when their name was called out as being safe from the DO. I would hate to think they "duped" the GBP because they couldn't do a dance but, something doesn't sit right with me about their behaviour last night.

If there is anything to be cynical about there it might be Anton's assumption that they'd get voted back in, but there again, that might just have been for Laila's benefit

Now I have this image of Anton and Laila sitting together like Pinky and the Brain plotting their evil deeds against the GBP!

I knew that VT about their jive and all her ideas of how to get out of it would bite her in the proverbial!! Including the one about injuries...slightly extreme don't you think?