I'm with you on this Sid. Some of the comments and innuendos are dispicable. The girl was crying real tears, but knowing what I do about these forums this thread doesnt surprise me in the least.

I find this interesting as that's exactly how I read it.

Something went wrong in the routine, ( maybe partly because of the injury), they couldn't pick it up again & she gave up...

Unlike others, I do think she was crying genuine tears - but as you say she had a lot to be upset about.

I assumed from the backstage VT that she did it before the dress rehearsal. She was dressed in civvies and had her hair in rollers when the medic was looking at it.
Now I can't say whether or not she did the dress rehearsal after she got back from the hospital.

Maybe they don't like her, maybe she is a drama queen, who can say. They did all seem a little muted when she was talking to Claudia. God knows, doesn't make me like Laila less or them more. Just leaves a bad taste really.
Last edited by Vic : 15-11-2009 at 16:50

I've just watched it back, too. And that really makes me wonder. The looks on Katya and Chris's faces are quite telling, tbh.

I have to admit that it did niggle me that her bandage was so on show last night

But I don't see why she would fake an injury or put it on and it would really shock me if she did that.

Can someone please clarify something for me.

My mum says that when Anton and Laila heard they were through to next week, Anton turned to Laila and said "told you so"...

Now if anyone can rewind and let me know if this is true I would be grateful.

If that IS the case, then I have a feeling Laila had no intention of dancing last night. I think they both decided to start the dance and then stop midway, that way the audience would "feel" for them and sympathise.

Lalia hurt her ankle... and dancing on national television probably wasnt the best thing to be doing in the circumstances. Even if it isn't so serious, it's not something you would be wanting to do shortly after tripping over and hurting yourself.

And seriously, whether you believe she had really hurt her foot or not... why issuing the story she had hurt her ankle would she wear heels?!? Ok it may help for the dance, but she probably felt unsteady anyway after falling, it may have given her more confidence in flats like Ali was the other week!

Yes he did. My husband heard it plain as plain

And for what feels like the 200th time today, without getting inside Anton's head can we really know what he meant?

I took it as reassurance thing. She'd probably been stressing backstage, thinking she'd let him down, herself down blah, blah. After all it was a daft out of dance accident that caused it so she probably feels a bit stupid too. I do not think it was a stroke of evil genius by cooked by the two of them!!

I do now on reflection, however, wish she hadn't danced and just got a bye through to the next week like Jade then this speculative nonsense would not exist.

I have re-watched their performance last night a few times....simply because I found the whole situation a little bizarre.

I don't doubt that Leila injured her ankle but I think there were a lot of 'dramatics' involved as a consequence, for whatever reasons, as has been mentioned on this thread already.

I thought the whole routine looked a bit 'stage managed' - she could have danced in flats to be more comfortable....the sweeping her up and carrying her off the dancefloor - again...looked very romantic and gallant but also very staged...and....most telling of all...

*The reaction of the other members of 'The Strictly Team' in the green room with Claudia.*

You can't disguise facial expressions and body language like that and pass it off as something else.

There wasn't any sympathy or empathy there....just a lot of eye rolling and winking.

WHY? Was she laying it on thick to get the sympathy vote?....which she did - to the point that Anton clearly said...'I told you so' when they were voted through....or are we just a bunch of cynics.....I don't think we are!

P.S.

Ali Bastion took an injury with visible bruising and danced on -from start to finish- she did the dance off in ballet shoes...from start to finish....point made

Thank you.

There's lots of accusations of anyone questioning the status quo as being big ol' meanies but really, there are too many puzzling facts to this to just brush it under the carpet.

As you say, how do you explain the reactions of everyone backstage? If anyone can think of a similar example of such coldness, lack of sympathy and clear eye rolling and annoyance I'd be interested to know. As I said previously, in previous similar situations the cast have been visibly and audibly supportive throughout and there was a big sense of 'carry them along' with back slapping and clapping. It was cold and dead in there. I just think that fact in and of itself points to something going on. What? I don't know.

I quite agree something was up and I'll say it again, maybe they don't like her. Maybe they did not give a flying fig if she was hurt or not.

It's the idea that somehow the pair of them concocted this brilliant and treacherous scheme between them I don't like.

If it is true then I trust one of the other celebs with all this acquired knowledge will come forward and let it be known. We wouldn't want cheats on the show now would we?

I think it was exaggerated so she could get out of a dance she didnt want to do. She comes across as complete whinge bag, constantly moaning about something or other. She has the capacity to be a good contestant but shes given up and dont it show. She could have covered that manky bandage by wearing that black trouser number she wore the other week.

If her attitude is really how its coming across on TV then pull out and let the people who do want to be there carry on. Having a face like a slapped arse week in & out is just spoiling the party and I suspect most of her votes are for anton anyway.

Or just maybe the pain became too much and she couldn't carry on and Anton may have told her afterwards that the public would keep her in for at least trying.

No one but Laila knows for sure, but I've no doubt that Anton will be blamed for it.

I think everyone's being very spiteful. She went to hospital for god's sake where they would have noticed if she was faking it. Claudia and the others said it looked swollen when they were all sitting backstage.

Yes, there were a lot of injuries last night but that doesn't mean they were faking them!

Don't be silly. I'm not saying Claudia is lying - and you know that I'm not. I'm saying that when you have a compression cloth on an injury then you will get slight swelling above and below the bandage. How could Claudia tell if the injury was swollen - it was covered by the bandage - der!.

Try it - wrap an elasticated bandage around your arm or calf - watch it swell slightly around the edges. What of course you won't see is if the covered part is swollen Why? Because it is covered.

Vic: I love you! The obvious answer! Not a conspiracy, not a cheat - maybe she just isn't as popular backstage as some of the others!

I don't think she is liked, I think it's possibly to do with the amount of flak that Anton had to endure at the start of the series, maybe she wasn't as innocent as she'd like us to believe?

I have to disagree. I think they were reacting to what was been said, especially Katya.

Katya has a bitch-face on in the Tesspit 95% of the time. I really wouldn't be basing anything on that.

Lol. Even so, a more reliable indicator than 99% of the so called evidence for this master conspiracy of deception from the axis of evil that is Anton and Lola.

I do not for one moment question that an accidental injury occurred. Her doctor gave her a pass, and Laila the adult decided she could do one dance, just as Kate had her injured back strapped and braved her last Paso.

If during all the twisting and turning of rumba she had hit a nerve and had collapsed screaming then the entire green room would have been understanding and sympathetic -- there but for the grace of God...... They have all fallen and been bruised during practice, times without number. Phil had keyhole surgery, then came out on crutches (?) and carried on Strictly.

It looked that Anton decided to sweep her up at that precise splitsecond but not before, not because she was about to collapse, but because in her weakened state she could not improvise and ham it up to cover a ruptured routine. Like Jade, Lalia had every reason to be saddened, after 9 weeks and all this effort and heartbreak to lose because of a senseless accident. Jade looked inconsolable, I guess I saw in Jade's face physical pain or the memory of her knee popping, worse than a bruised foot.

Did Laila look in much pain before the dance started? Her hot tears looked completely genuine to me, but possibly more from sorrow and frustration than from shooting pain. After judges' comments did she run up the stairs as usual to the green room? Or did Anton carry her up?

There is little doubt that injury, not Laila turned the dance into a walk then a stoppage. Certainly sympathy for the injured -- there but for the grace of God.....

But in the green room all the dancing warriors knew about attrition and pain.

The thing is, why would she fake it, as by her reaction she thought she'd be in the bottom two and out of the competition, which I doubt she'd want, plus I'm no Anton/Latin fan but that Rumba choreo did look pretty good and if she wasn't injured, I think it could have been magical.

You must know Claudia better than she knows herself. You are even doubting if she could see if it is was swollen are not. Why would she say it was swollen? For a laugh? Maybe Jade faked her injury as well. I cannot believe i am defending Laila. I don't think she has long left on the show anyway.

Just to add my t'uppence worth...

I actually thought it was all a bit pathetic and attention seeking.... sighs..

At the start when she hobbled on, my immediate thoughts were, if she is that bad she cant dance. Then when we realised Jade was out, thought that there was no way the BBc would let 2 sit it out. I think Laila totally hammed it up (sorry bit did) and thought the dropping out and tears mid dance were a bit pathetic. Why couldnt she have been better humoured about it and if she really couldn;t do it then just put her hands up and said so. The crying really gauls me as its clearly for the sympathy vote. What ever happened to the Blitz spirit.. look at Tuffers dancing thru his injury with surgery the next day - he just got on with it. It wasn't great but no tears or hystreonics from him!

I reckon the tears were more about the potential of losing air time and publicity.. its only a b******y tv show love.. get a grip PLEASEEEEEE

I dont understand why, in these circumstances, they didnt do what they did on DWTS and mark on the basis of the dress rehersal. That is fairly accurate and if they get voted out, chances are they would have done anyway.

Sorry for being grumpy about this but it really annoys me - if an athlete gets injured prior to a competition they are out and thats it. Its just tough luck. Boom.

I'm not discounting anyone's opinion or interpretation of last night, but can I just ask that if Laila honestly didn't want to do a dance and needed to fake an injury, why wouldn't she do that in the week she was dancing the jive? A dance both her and Anton knew wasn't good and may well have put them in the bottom two?

I thought her tears were genuine and not 'dramatics', due to the fact that she kept wiping them away and trying to hide them. If, however, she did a Gwyneth Paltrow when she won an Oscar (just completely bawling), i would be less inclined to believe they were real tears.