Jade has stated she feels fit enough to dance so i would imagine they will still have had time to do some training regardless of when the final decision is made.

This is becoming more bizarre by the second. Trying to look at it objectively, if the medical staff employed by the BBC have assessed the risk and say she's not fit then that should be the end of the story.

It's almost irrelevant if Jade's physio says she's fit - surely he has no professional liability with regard to the show and any possible injuries incurred during the show unlike the BBC employed medics have. Say the BBC's physio backs down today and Jade goes ahead, dances and breaks down - what are the insurance implications etc..?

I don't understand the legal intricacies at all but I'm baffled that this has been allowed to drag on - I really feel for poor Ian in all this

I can imagine the SCD post production meeting last Monday morning;

"Ratings! Ratings! We're still being slaughtered by X-factor!"

"How about Jedward dancing on SCD?"

"What? Together?"

"Never mind that, this Jade injury is a life-line, whatever the outcome, we must spin it out. If it looks like she's not going to be able to appear on Saturday, drag it out as long as you can."

"She'll get a lot of bad publicity if she leaves it to the last minute and says she can't."

"I've got that covered, we'll say it was our physio who wouldn't let her dance, after all he's on thousands more than any athletics physio, so he'll be able to come up with a better reason."

"But then the BBC will get all the flack!"

"Doesn't matter, we'll put out a 'caring sharing' release saying that the BBC wasn't going to risk the future of a British athlete, for the sake of a TV programme. We'll be heroes and then it'll be old news.
Now I want a good ten minutes about it on IT2 on Friday, plenty of drama, tell Claude to wipe that silly grin of her face and be serious for once, lots of dramatic background music and at the last minute, give the viewers nothing.
We can string it out until Saturday night and we should get a bit of good 'will she? won't she? press coverage on Saturday morning. I love it! I can see a big increase in ratings coming!"

"What about Ian Waite?"

"He'll follow the brief if he wants to be back next year. No need to remind him what can happen when dancers say things like the hours they put in means they could earn more at MacDonalds."

"But supposing she is OK to dance?"

"So she dances! What's that got to do with it?

It's all about 'the journey!'"

I felt sorry for Jade on Saturday night but I do think they are dragging this whole drama of her knee out as a publicity stunt. I cannot believe that on Friday in It Takes Two Jade could not say definitely if she was dancing or not. What are they hoping for? The viewers will switch on in droves to see if Jade can dance? Surely any doc or physio could tell her by FRIDAY whether she should dance or not or if she could have a permanent problem if she does dance. It is a bit like the "romance" between the various professional dancers and their celebs, it wears thin after a while. If Jade has not rehearsed with Ian what kind of a dance can she do anyway or are they allowing her to do the Tango as she could not dance it last week???

I have to disagree. A decision should have been made by now. If she hasn't danced all week then she shouldn't dance tonight. She hasn't done the rhumba at all so that's no longer an option. A little voice in my head is saying that they are spinning this out so she has to do the tango which I think is unfair on the other competitors. Much as I regret that Jade, who is definitely a front runner, was unfortunate in sustaining this injury, she ought to pull out.

Maybe, in view of the conflicting views, the BBC are trying to give every opportunity for the BBC's physio to state that it's now OK. But I do agree, they should have given a clear deadline (say 5pm last night) and the knee reassessed by the BBC at that point, with a final (and non-negotiable) decision taken by the BBC's physio.

In truth, it's bad for Ian, bad for the production team who are not sure which of two (or maybe three) running orders they will be following etc.

FFS...Its SATURDAY.....the day of the show....and you're telling me they havent made a decision yet?????????

OF COURSE they're spinning it out....she's had no practice all week and if she DOES dance, whats the betting she'll get the SYMPATHY VOTE and then go through to next week!

COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doghouse i can picture that whole scenario clearly

To think on last weeks show i felt physically sick at the thought of Jades potentially career threatening injury and skip to a week later and all i did was roll my eyes at ITT yesterday and think ffs. We've all been played so much by the beeb this week i find myself not really caring if she dances or not.

No, it's only bad for Jade.

Ian's still in a job.

The production team will be rubbing their hands together saying "Ratings! Ratings! Bonuses! Bonuses!"

It's just telly.

I'm afraid Jade lost my sympathy yesterday when she was saying that she wanted to dance. It no longer should be an option.

Thanks for that.

Some might think me cynical, others might be aware how things "in the real world" actually work.
The BBC don't pay their top programme production people "silly money" for nothing.

I think it's very clear what the situation is...

Jade wants to dance. Her own personal physio who she knows and trusts is saying she will be okay to dance now she has rested it. The BBC physio is erring on the side of caution and saying 'I'm not sure' hence they're saying she shouldn't dance.

Jade doesn't want to take 'no' for an answer, especially when her own physio (who knows her and her sport better) is saying 'yes'.

They're all doing a lot of arguing which is still going on now. In the end, my own opinion is that it should be Jade's choice. I'm sure she's smart enough to listen to the arguments from both sides and as an adult she has the right to make the decision for herself.

If I were to play devils advocate....say she DOES dance and then halfway through the dance she has to stop.....who's fault would that be? Jade's? The physio's?

She'll then get the sympathy vote as the "poor lamb tried her hardest and fought the pain and agony to entertain the audience but alas her injury has beaten her"

She should just go now. FFS its only a dance/light entertainment programme! And she IS sposed to be training for 2012.

I like SCD but I also like the Olympics...but which one is better? There's only one way to find out.....!!!

If Jade was going to make the decision for herself, she should have made it by now. If she dances we are effectively going to have two dancers playing for the sympathy vote so one of the good dancers who have trained all week will be in the DO. At least Laila has made some effort to train.

I disagree. I don't think it should be Jades choice. The show has a responsibility to Jade thats why they have their own specialist dance physios. They also have to consider the insurance implications of any further injury.

Can you imagine what the insurance company would say if the shows own physio advised against her dancing but they went ahead and let her because she wanted to?

I can see this being the situation, especially since we know Jade is competitive and determined (it's probably a basic requirement for athletes particularly at her level!). I can believe 'no' just isn't in her vocab and as with other athletes, it's her team's job (management, trainers, physios etc) to be practical and guide her.

However, I don't think it should be Jade's choice. She admitted that she's stressed, strictly is an emotional experience for all of the contestants and the best of times, and she has the added pressure of not wanting to let Ian and her fans down. At times like these, it's not a matter of being smart enough to listen to arguments of both sides and making the right decision - hearts tend to overrule heads, and in this situation with her fitness and career at stake that might not be the best thing.

I bet "BBC legal" are now involved, would she be the first dancer to have to sign an "injury disclaimer" before performing a ballroom dance on TV?
Is this to what what family entertainment has come?

I must admit i'm not happy about this aspect either. We know that people vote out of sympathy, people have been saying on here that Jade should come out and just let Ian dance around her and they would love it and vote like mad.

One week of sympathy voting/getting a bye is fine but dragging it out over 2 weeks is unfair to the other contestants who've trained hard this week and are potentially going to be kicked out.

Hear hear

It's not Jade's fault though, it's the BBC's.

Jade should say, "I am fit and I am dancing." If that's what she thinks.

If the BBC pull her from the show at the last minute then OK.

But can someone just make a decision!!!

Oh the excitement the tension its just so gripping this will she or wont she rubbish

It's pathetic.
Just dance, woman.
Your physio says it's OK.
And if you feel any pain then you can stop.

It's a dancing programme. I wouldn't care if it WAS the bl00dy Olympics. It's still not life or death.

Pathetic.

What?

and spoil the "surprise?"
The BBC want to make sure you tune in tonight to find out at 6.50pm or whatever.
Why do you think they've perpetuated this nonsense?

The BBC aren't daft (well..not in this instance) they just think we are.

No its not Jades fault but its still very unfair on the other contestants.