You are aware that Ricky's not the only one of the celebs who works, yes?

No, but the distance point is a valid one - you have better media access, better access all round in fact, if you work in London.

They can only train in the evenings and early in the mornings with his job. The others can train during the day.

And if I were them I'd stay in London next week; blitz the media, and have loads of VT's saying how much they love eachother and show them having lots of fun etc. Whatever it takes.

Because what do we know about them. Both very focused on the job. They seem to get along and that's it really.

He shouldn't have taken on Strictly if he didn't feel he could commit to it fully then.

I don't think lack of training is a problem myself. Ricky's rotuines were easily the best of the night. But he's just not liked as much as the other two celebrities. Someone has to be least popular and it happens to be him

I meant it as in from a public point of view. The time they have together they just seem to work and that's it. So no good fodder for the VT's or ITT.

Seems a little harsh. Presumably you'll be campaigning for Len to leave also? I mean, Len's clearly not committed to Strictly, the man's not even on the same continent for a lot of the show.


I don't think the suggestion was "train more", it was "be in London more so you get more meedja attention".

Which sounds like a good idea to be honest.

Ricky trained a lot this week - and it showed in his brilliant performances. However he didn't get an ITT spot that I saw. (I admit I missed one show.)

Things can change. If Chris goes then I think most of his supporters would change to Ricky rather than Ali.

I felt so sad for him I forgave him for knocking out Laila.

I will most likely throw a vote for him next week.

I think Ricky is popular it's Natalie that's not, maybe if he'd had a different partner who knows. I know it's a dancing competition but it also has to be entertaining and Natalie doesn't seem to have much of a personality just a steely determination, "I want four tens" not mention of whether Ricky wanted four tens although I don't suppose he'd have minded

He had a phone interview with Claudia on Tuesday.

You know they do play up that fact BUT it seems always when you see her interviewed for longer peroids of time (which is rarely) that she wants 4 tens FOR Ricky.

He had a phone interview with Claudia on Tuesday and that was it. The World Cup draw meant that Friday's ITT was cut short so Natalie and Ricky didn't have their usual interview on the sofa. Which I think probably pleased a LOT of the FMs.

I wasn't campaigning for Ricky not to have taken up the offer of Strictly. What I was trying to say was that if a celebrity does agree to take part, they cannot then use their day job as an excuse for lack of training or poor performance. That's something that should have been thought through beforehand.

I actually commend Ricky on producing such high standard of dancing every week given the long hours he works and the amount of commuting he has to do.

And the Len comparison isn't a valid one. He merely judges. That only requires him to turn up on the night, not train hour upon hour in the days leading up to the show.

They didn't get it last week either of course, so he hasn't actually been on ITT in person for over a fortnight.

He doesn't.

Sorry, misunderstood you earlier and have just read the above reply!


I agree, he doesn't and you weren't insinuating that he does as I first suspected.

I should have read your post more carefully.

I think you're actually right. He and Natalie haevn't been able to 'sell' their partnership as well as some of the others because they simply don't spend much time together and when they do it's all about the training - which makes for a less interesting VT.

One of Ricky's problems is that his core Hollyoaks fans are a young audience, who probablly spend their voting pennies on the X-Factor rather than Strictly.

It seems it's more that they just don't get the coverage than that they don't spend time together. The Tuesday training report on ITT this week, for example, only had coverage of one of their two dances, unlike the others, and that was Sunday rehearsal footiage taken while they were still in London so was much less developed than the other routines. It was virtually pointless.

Actually they do spend a lot of time together. They had the most training hours this week. However, the VT's and lack of coverage on ITT, make it appear as if they are a work work work couple with no light heartedness and this may be true of course. But what can we really tell from a 45 second VT when they spend 20 - 30 hours a week together.

I meant not just in the training room.

The other couples have time to hang out more in a social setting


I think that might have had to do with Ricky coming down with flu earlier in the week. Perhaps he and Natalie hadn't started rehearsing the second dance in time for footage to be shown of it?

Really agree with you there - I think Natalie has done an amazing job with Ricky and as you say they do not go for gimmicks etc they just work hard and come out and dance.

I am so upset for Ricky tonight he will need all of Natalie's support this week.

Well seeing as Nat knows no one in Liverpool I persume that he does do the gentlemanly thing and at least has the odd meal with her. It's just the VT's are edited in such a way that they, appear, to have a work work drill drill drill drill relationship. But they seem to be fond of eachother so blatantly they must have some sort of personal interaction.

I am afraid the best Dancer will not win as there is too many falling for this team Cola Cube hype which is a shame but that is the way it goes plus BBC bias does not help.

She doesn't speak because she has no personality and never has anything interesting to say, possibly the dullest most boring pro ever, but then she is an Aussie