She is quite eerie.
That grinning she was doing whilst dancing to La Bassey. Perhaps that's why the celebs this series gurn so much. They have seen her do it.

Karen Hardy was a bit crazy but Natalie is more "OK, I'm scared now, please stop...".

Hasn`t she been on DWTS Australia 2 or 3 times ?

I didn't even notice - I think they're great together and she's choreographed brilliant ballroom routines for them.

She is very much that girl. So people are just one of the worlds great 'doers'. They climb everest while the rest of us are happier having an extra lie in and eating crisps in front of the television. However to be honest its just who a person is. It's not as if Ricky can't handle it. He seems as dedicated as she does. Didn't one of the professional dancers tell their partner in a training session that Ricky makes Natalie train on a Sunday? She isn't pushing him around he seems very determined too.


She is very direct person and that is very un - British. I don't have a problem with that though. At least she's honest.


Quite! And to be honest there is really no false gushing with the two of them. They work hard and they do seem to genuinely get on (whatever the tabloids may say is irrelevant) and there is no BS there. They just cut straight to it. All the pro dancers are ambituous little so and so's. She's just honest about it in a: this is me and if you don't like it screw you. I respect the honesty at least.

Great minds DrB, as I've just posted that I would have liked to have seen Ricky with Flavia on another thread.


In all fairness to Katya, I thought that was a "tongue in cheek" comment to try and get Phil to do some bliddy work!

Even so, Ricky isn't some sort of door mat, unless they edit out all the fits and misery from their training sessions (which is entirely possible). They seem to get on fine and he loves doing the show. Fair enough I say no one is suffering.

I actually agree with a lot of the points you made. As someone who is carrying the scars for having defended Ricky AND Natalie from practically day one I can understand your sensitivity, but, I was genuinely trying to bring some light hearted humour to the thread!

To be honest I don't understand all the hate this year: from everyone about every couple it seems. I think they're all fine to be honest: boringly so. There's no bullying behaviour (James and Brendan in the past). There have been been those oh so cringworthy digs about Ali and Brian sleeping together but apart from that nothing. All the couples seem fine to me. I have no problem with Natalie's directness. And Ricky seems to like her, so fair enough I say. He knows her; we don't: Apart from brief training clips and one show a week. I don't get the hatred about someone none of us know.

I guess none of you have watched the Australian Dancing With the Stars, where Natalie has been fairly successful. It's very different, and very showy. I'd say it's even more showy than the US DWTS. And the pros do a lot of talking and arguing with the judges there.

I'm sure Natalie's still figuring it all out, what parts of her style she should keep to stay an individual and what parts just don't fit in with SCD at all...it's difficult. Right now, what she's doing seems to be working for them, so she has no real incentive to change her style.

I don't think she's being rude, she's just putting herself between the judges and her celeb. She doesn't want them blaming him for what they may see as mistakes that have to do with her choreography.

I agree. I'm sure all the Pros respect Len's opinion the most and as Nat was responsible for the lift it, was only right that she explain why she included the lift. Some on this forum seem determined to dislike Natalie and look for any excuse to knock her. I think she's a lovely person and a great teacher and choreographer. I do hope she's invited back for the next series. I'm sure she won't be given such a good dancer if she is invited back.

She was on a hiding to nothing anyway as a newcomer being given a very good dancer. She may have won over more people to see how she would cope with someone like RickyG or Rav.

Well said Starry - to most people everything Natalie does is wrong. I totally agree with you they are a team and a great partnership. I think she is very protective of Ricky and always speaks up to explain or defend him to the judges etc. I think she is doing a great job with Ricky and they are doing so well. Roll on next Saturday!!

So nice to read a positive post for Natalie. I sure hope she does not read the horrible posts about her on DS how welcome must she feel in our country!!
Yes she is a great dancer and choreographer and she has done a fantastic job with Ricky.
I to hope she is invited back.

How anyone can complain about Natalie crashing into somebody else's sentence once, when Anton actually refused to allow Tess to get a link out on live tv (which is incredibly unprofessional) is beyond me.

Whenever the judges speak about the choregraphy to the stars, they are really talking about the pro. They admonished Brian a few times directly about the difficulity. He just took it to mind, and made the correction. Natalie should have never erupted. Talk about intensity. If she is back next year give her someone like a John Sergent. Then let's see about her rigid standards.

It's the "screw you" attitude that I have the problem with.

I just can't like her. She comes across to me as cold, hard, calculating and completely empathy free.

I don't watch them now, she irritates me so much.

Anton usually annoys me when he does stuff like that, but Tess rubbing it in with her eagerness to tell them that they'd gotten their lowest score so far (in ballroom) annoyed me even more.

Look away now if you don't like non-PC.

I think that next year Natalie should be partnered with Lembit Opik.

So we can all sit back and admire the symmetry.

Think about it.

(Where's the innocent whistler icon?)

I'd rather have Natalie's full on Aussie ambition than Kataya's simpering Yankee smile. Yes I know how ridiculous that sounds but so does all the comparisons on this thread. I'm voting for the celeb not the pro dancer and Ricky is brilliant. I've never felt him to be brash or big headed just keen and eager to learn. Stop bashing the celebs because of how they act/react and keep focus on the dancing..please!!

I can't believe some of the negative comments I am reading on this thread. I must be watching a different show from everyone else because I just do not see what other people have.
I love Natalie. I love her drive, motivation and competitive attitude. I think she is a joy to watch not only with Ricky but with her professional partner too. I think she has a great partnership with Ricky. IMO they are the complete package.
I think she has choreographed some fantastic routines and for a professional I can only imagine it must be a complete joy to have a partner who is so capable. I know that if it was me I would want to show what he is capable of to his best ability. Often people say that Strictly is a dance competition sprinkled with entertainment, we're getting that week on week from Natalie and Ricky and yet people don't seem to like it.

Katya was born in Lithuania, moved to Israel when 6, and moved to Canada when she was 13, (according to her website) there is no 'Yankee' in her whatever.

I think I could forgive her anything on Strictly, after watching that tango with Antonio Banderas.

water_carrier: I think you hit the nail on the head there. Whatever 'dancers' might like to think, Strictly is a light entertainment show with dancing, and no, the audience in general do not like a dancing show with only a sprinkling of entertainment. Hence they don't want 'driven' or 'ambitious' or naked competitiveness, because it is devoid of any entertainment value and just comes across as cold and hard.

That is exactly the problem that the world Latin champions had, technical brilliance that was boring and unwatchable to those not into the technicalities of dance.

Did the BBC reply to you?

I would love it if Natalie came out and behaved the way certain other popular pros (Erin, Darren, Brendan, Lilia, James) did when they had talented partners. They whined that their scores were too low (Natalie Lowe actually said she thought the judges were too generous with their tango), they whined that other couples scores were too high (they're constantly saying the other dancers are doing really well), and they constantly back-chatted the judges (which Natalie has done only to defend her choreography).

This desire to brand her as incredibly off-puttingly competitive just because she made the faux pas of admitting she was aiming high in week 1, that she has (shock horror) high standards she expects her partners to reach, and because she has a slightly over-eager face still goes right over my head.

I totally agree. All this bleating about how Flavia would have been better etc...

Well, maybe Natalie would have been better with Craig!

Love Flavia but you can;t really compare one dancer with another. Ricky may be good but maybe not AS good without Natalie...

Let's not make the mistake of judging a pro after one series again, particularly when she's a) doing a pretty good job and b) eliciting a fair amount of reaction from the public, unlike Hayley Holt last series.

James and Brendan have had to work very hard to erase the impressions made by their relationships with previous celebrities, but their ability to do so has shown that there's more than one side to every professional dancer.

If Natalie is given a contract next year and gets an absolute duffer, that'll be the time to pass judgement on her preference for high achievers or otherwise.

Exactly she is always lovely about the other competitors. She seems lovely. I don't like some of the professionals (not going to say here its a boring topic) BUT I always just judge them on how they treat their partners and Natalie and Ricky seem to have a nice relationship. So fine by me.