Agree about the Bit in Bold about Camilla being a judge. She has definately moved on and hasn't been on ITT and talked about the dances and stuff that Karen has.

Really. That would be a loss if she went

Good bye and good riddance..... shouldn't have been a judge on SCD in the first place....

Although what she knows about finding talent on the X Factor could be written on the same size postage stamp as her dancing knowledge.

Did she not win Strictly once?

Both Karen and Camilla are pro champions on the show

Why? At the end of the day, it's her job. People change jobs all the time, it's everyone's prerogative to do so. This may be a high profile job-change, but that's all it is, and good luck to her if it's a better offer and she wants to try it

That doesn't follow - she's within her rights to consider any offer she gets, at the end of the day it's her job so whatever suits her best she's entitled to take. I don't think there's any consideration of loyalty (can that many people really say that they'd be 'loyal' to their job if a better offer came along?), and it certainly doesn't mean she doesn't care about the show, it just means she's decided that what's best for her job-wise at the minute is a different show.


Camilla's in Calendar Girls for the rest of the year at least so she's not available, although i agree she probably wouldn't do it anyway. I'd personally pick Karen

I agree with Mystical. I don't see anything wrong with Alesha going after the X factor job. It is closer to her main career and interests.

Why does the new judge have to be an ex participant in Strictly?. There's a big world out there. Potentially there are other people from the dance world who could be suitable. A new face (with the proviso that they knew what they were talking about) would be like a breath of fresh air to the programme.

Her defection to X-Factor would be a bit of a slap in the face to TPTB at SCd doncha think??

Also would slightly tarnish her rep at SCD as SCD's most popular ever winner & golden girl. She couldnt really be paraded as Strictly's poster girl so much, as clips of her on the show would remind the audiences that they only have to switch over to ITV to see her again!

She is not under contract yet and the BBC could replace her whenever they fancy just like they did with Arlene. If alesha goes for a job with better money and opportunities then fair enough that's what people do all the time.

I only go off people who switch channels when it's clear they're messing the BBC about a la Christine Bleakley's bizarre 'I don't know what to dooooo and im not angling for a pay rise honest' press release.

Agreed Minty - I get realy annoyed at people who have no enthusiasm for what they are grossly overpaid to do - and make the most basic mistakes - generally out of laziness on their part. These are the types that need replacing

I think this would be the most perfect outcome for everyone. Total win;win situation. Alesha gets a pay rise and higher viewing figures; Beeb gets rid painlessly of a costly mistake. She is somewhat 'low profile' for Xfactor compared with what would be her predecessors but at least she has some qualifications to give opinions on what she would be judging, looks glam and her comments would sound far less patronising in the context of advising youngsters with little professional experience than they do to often older people with years of experience in entertainment, even if not ballroom dancing. It could really work.

I always thought Mark Ramps was SCD's most popular winner. I remember several articles saying he got by far the highest proportion of votes.

Tom won with 64% of the vote - and Chris was a 63% of vote winner

I would have thought Ramps was amongst the narrower margins of victory actually - Matt Dawson beat him at least once in the weeks leading up to the final and he and Lilia were pretty popular together. Not that that means he can't be the most popular winner by some other metric, but I'd be surprised if he won by a larger margin than Halfpenny, Gough, Chambers or Hollins, all of whom beat fairly unpopular opposition.

Certainly publicity wise, Alesha has been Strictly's poster girl since her win. series 5 is regarded as one of the best series (it had fantastic ratings) & certainly for a while it looked like the public had fallen hook, line & sinker for Alesha. When a newspaper or mag want to do an article about Strictly, you can bet your bottom dollar that a piccie of Alesha will be there.

She's been the shows public face & darling for some time, & this move will take the sheen off that a little. Certainly publiity wise, no winner since has matched her stature.

I think it will be a little awkward for SCD to continue to parade Alesha as THE success story of SCD (in the eyes of the public & career wise) if she does indeed front their biggest rivals show....

(Can I add that I think X-Factor will inevitably decline with the departure of BOTH Simon & cheryl??)

She replaced Arlene, who lost her job because of her, then she goes off and joins SCD's rivals. A bit weird imo.

Shirley Ballas maybe?

I don't remember Alesha having the power to give Arlene the sack....

Alesha has nothing to do with Arlene being axed - that was a decision of BBC executives who wanted Alesha, and that's not Alesha's fault. Why should she care that she was replacing Arlene? It's been a job for both of them, they move on to other jobs, that's life. Nothing weird about it, people replacing others happens all the time, it's not the preserve of the entertainment industry....

I watch SCD and The X Factor. I think Alesha is hopelessly out of her depth on SCD but from seeing her as a contestant on SCD and on panel shows like Buzzcocks, can see her doing well on the X Factor - as long as she sorts out her grammar!

SCD doesn't suit Alesha, simple as that.

Exactly! Arlene was pushed by the BBC, it wasn't Alesha's fault. Alesha was offered the high profile job when her career was, shall we say, 'mediocre' – she would have been mad not to take it. I don't think many people who have the same career ambitions as Alesha would have said no.

Also, to be honest, whilst I seriously disapprove of the obvious ageism that was involved in the BBC's decision to sack Arlene, watching Arlene on SYTYCD reminds me of just how cringe-worthy she is. I have to mute her when she is on, I just can't take her desperate attempts at trying to make puns, and her pre-rehersed monologues. Ageism aside, I'd rather listen to Alesha.

In her first Strictly season she spoke her mind and was ridiculed and torn apart by a furious public. In her second year she was wisely counselled to speak supportively about all celebs, and the fury melted away. It is questionable though if she is really happy acting by policy rather than by inclination.

I think ITV will do a better job with Alesha's PR than the BBC. I doubt the BBC was expecting the kind of backlash they got for hiring Alesha, and I think where they let Alesha down afterwards was in the PR – but they don't have the kind of budget Xfactory have.

It wasn't Alesha's fault the BBC was being ageist, and she would have been stupid not to take the job. What Alesha needed in the light of her negative publicity was a slick spin campaign. If I remember correctly, Danni Minogue went through a period of not being liked much, then some serious PR work gained her some considerable popularity. It's scary what a well thought out, and slick PR campaign can do.

I think Alesha is probably far better suited to the Xfactory and is definitely more qualified than Ms. Cole to be judging a music show. But as we have seen many times, being qualified for the job has nothing to do with judging reality TV 'talent' competitions.

With the right PR, I think Xfactory could be a good move for Alesha – though, it could all go horribly wrong, and she could get another nasty backlash. Assuming the PR is good, it would probably be a much better move for her singing career as well.

As for loyalty, so what? In that kind of business, there is none. Strictly could sack her at anytime (see Arlene, Karen etc) and she has to do what is best for her. Women in the entertainment industry have a short, profitable lifespan. Very few make it, even fewer 'make it' when they pass a certain age. One needs to make hay whilst the sun shines.

It would make my year if Alesha went to X factor- SCD - my favourite tv programme- or at least it was until she joined as judge- her presence on the panel has ruined the show for me- i feel she echos Brunos scores and comments far too closely- her experience as a contestant does not qualify her to be a judge- i cook dinner every day- doesnt make me a food critic!!! The awful grammer and the overbearing laugh just grates on my nerves......