Cheryl Cole let the fame get to her head, I think Alesha at 33 knows that she isn't going to 'crack the US' and knows that she still needs to secure her place in the UK. And they may have kicked her off US XF but her replacement wasn't taken to kindly either.

I don't think Danni went on to reignite her music career. She's also on Australian shows and has managed to launch a fashion range and a book.

Yelsel where are you?

How can any Alesha-bashing thread be official without you? Did Alesha pension you off after your final post on 13th Sept 2010? Did she pay you redundancy money?

How are we bashing her? Many didn't take to her and few feel that her moving on to BGT isn't a good move considering what Cowell is like when the going gets tough.

Wannabe pop star criticising other wannabes ........... why can't I get that grin off my face?

I suspect it was a case of jump before being pushed?

Strictly appears to be on the up, BGT has very little life left in it (IMO) - especially with that prat Walliams on the panel as well. Very strange career move unless she saw the writing on the wall?
Either that or Scowell has promised her riches galore?

Maybe Alesha just realised she is 33 and not 83 ad so was on the wrong show.

I didn't mind Alesha as a judge,probably partly because she replaced Arlene, who I didn't like. I suppose you could say she is being disloyal to the BBC who resurrected her career when it was going nowhere fast but heyho when you're offered that kind of silly money must be hard to refuse, I'm just glad SW didn't try to poach CRH because that my darlings would have been a dis-zarz- ter!!

Excellent points. X Factor didn't help Nicole at all and Simon isn't loyal to judges if he doesn't think they're working out(Kelly Brook, Cheryl Cole). He will turn on them very quickly.

I don't think it was not 'cracking' America that did for Cheryl Cole; it was her diva-size strop afterwards. A true professional rather than a pop Princess would have realised that most long-term showbiz careers have up's and down's and the way to make it work is to get back out there and put a brave face on it. Cheryl did the Greta Garbo bit and seemed surprised when nobody came calling. Still - there's always Ashley, I suppose

I can see where the OP is coming from, but in all honesty she's not stabbed them in the back. Loyalty only goes so far these days. Alesha could easily have said no to Cowell, then the BBC could have come back to her this year and said she was being dropped. She has to go where the money and the most secure job is.

Of course, if that is the public perception then it doesn't matter whether she's made the correct decision or not, she could start at a disadvantage (see Daybreak). But it does seem to me the show will suit her far better than Strictly.

I can't see that anyone loses here, to be honest.
* Cowell gets one over on the BBC.
* The BBC, criticised for many years for overpaying celebrities with public money, uses this as an example of it not trying to compete head-on with the commercial sector.
* Dixon, if the publicity is handled correctly (see not Daybreak) gets a salary increase and a show which suits her far better.
* The people who thought she was terrible will probably get a replacement who knows more about dancing.

Everyone's a winner baby.

All about the money and her agent is a joker if he thinks people believe that "time to move on" line he has thrown out. People aren't stupid these days, they can see straight through that kind of... anyway, it makes me laugh how ITV continually overpay for very little talent. Christine and Adrian spring to mind.

The fact is that SCD is in a very strong position coming off its best ratings versus X-Factor and I doubt they'll panic and rush the decision over who to replace her with. There are plenty of people who would do a good job but they are bound to go for somebody with dance experience in my opinion. It's perfectly possible that it might be Karen Hardy or somebody who is a bit more well-known outside of the SCD viewership but with a dance background. Who knows...

I'm glad Alesha is going. Although her performance this year was not as dire as previous years, I don't think she added anything to the panel on Strictly.

I hope the BBC think long and hard about her replacement, Jennifer Grey was awful, Darcey Bussell hardly any better.

BGT and X Factor are on the wane, Strictly in the ascent - I think Alesha may regret her choice because both of Cowell's programmes are on the slide. I cannot see his employment of Ms Dixon helping the decline.

The emotive description in the title is really about stabbing Strictly in the back, not stabbing BBC.

Since winning SCD5 for years Alesha had been saying how much she loved Strictly and dance, how much she wanted to be a part of the Strictly family. She did not say she would die to help BBC in the ratings war against ITV.

Now apparently the Simon Cowell shilling is more lovable than the Strictly family.

Would SCD7 and SCD8 have gone better without the bitter audience fights over Alesha? By SCD9 Alesha had learnt how to sidestep audience animosity, but now she has a choice between profit and the alleged beloved Strictly family.

TV and the entertainment industry as a whole is incredibly competitive. Women have a limited shelf life and are disposable in the entertainment industry, (arguably more limited and disposable than men) and are judged more by their looks than talent. Alesha is 33, she must realise that in industry terms she is already past her prime shelf life, and on a slope downwards. Just for the record, I don't like, accept or agree with these sentiments, but that is the way it is.

I think new people are coming in on Strictly, so not only does she risk stagnating in terms of her career, she risks being rather un-illustriously booted when new producers, et al, want to make their mark on the new series and shake things up, which they are highly likely to do. For all we know, she may have already been given indications of this, hence her move.

In terms of making money and holding on to some sort of career, I think it was quite a smart move, she risked stagnating at the BBC – she tried to relaunch her music career there with mediocre success. BGT is not the best program to move to, but don't be surprised to see her move to Xfactory if all goes well with BGT. I think she realised as well, that if she moved to Xfactory last summer, she risked the same sort of backlash as she got when she first joined Strictly, because of the whole Cheryl Cole melodrama.

And this loyalty thing to the BBC? Are you kidding me? Do you remember Arlene and the way the BBC treated her? C'mon now. There is no loyalty in the entertainment industry, and the BBC wouldn't think twice of kicking Alesha off the panel for whatever reason if they wanted to. The entertainment industry is a nasty, competitive business. If the 'average' person was offered a better paying job, with potentially better prospects, potentially better future prospects, better connections and better job perks, most people would take it.

Saying all this though, I do think last series was her best series, and she seemed more comfortable. I also think it's a rather sh*tty program she is moving to, but then, it's a career move and a foot in the door within a company that is in an area she wants her future career to be in. It's a risky, but wise move.

^ This.

I can't stand people here jumping on a bangwagon baying for her blood after so many moaning about her grammar and manner of speech etc. Perhaps some of them are the same people, but I have a life so I won't investigate this matter to prove my hunch. Moaners and hypocrite. That's all. Just ask these moaners the same question: if you are offered a job with three times the pay and better prospects, would you stay in that company because you want to be 'loyal', because they are 'like your family'?

I can't believe that people on here can be so negative. I say good luck Alesha and I hope your move works out. The world of show business is very 'cut throat' and the BBC could have dropped her at anytime as the did with Arlene and several of the dancers. Things need to evolve and develop and the BBC will do anything to keep ahead. Instead of moaning people should be positive and give the girl a break. I don't suspect it was all about the money but even if it was who can blame her. I am not
a particular fan either way but I can't abide the bullies and moaners that have such strong opinions on something which is nothing to do with them.

I agree and as I said earlier, she was no longer a controversial figure, (except to a few on here) the reason why she was chosen in the first place.
She'd become bland and nothing like her "pantomime character" fellow judges.
Apart from her frequent use of her 10 paddle, all people mostly had to comment upon was her occasional poor fashion choice.
As a part of the show she would now have a very short shelf life.

Expect a controversial and unexpected "headline grabbing" replacement, it's all about ratings.

You seem to say this with some scorn – of course this was most likely a huge factor in her decision. I don't understand why this is meant to be a bad thing? She is not a charity worker! It's her career. She took a better paying job with potentially better prospects. She was with a company where she couldn't go much further and risked stagnating. Most people would do the same.

It amazes me the criticism she's getting. Her career in showbusiness is likely to be quite a short one, unlike top performers like Morcambe and Wise who left the BBC for Thames Television, seemingly "at the drop of a hat."
The public didn't care, people still watched their shows.

BBC never gave a straight reason for letting Arlene go but not Len of the same age. Arlene departed after SCD6 when she went outside of Strictly to fan the flames of a tabloid campaign to make life impossible for John Sargeant -- and denigrate Kristina, "her disappearing clothes".

John's unprecedented resignation resulted in the nation taking sides, enough to merit TV (15) and broadsheet headlines. The Farewell Waltz with Kristina in tears was the culmination but not the conclusion. SCD6 was all set to end gloomily but for the unplanned melodrama of 331-gate. Arguably Arlene put herself out of a job by

the way she treated BBC.

You missed my point it seems. Her agent throws out this line about it being time to move on like we're all stupid - of course it was about money. Have a bit of honesty and say so instead of PR bs. However, I also think that it's a bad move for her because if it goes badly they'll be a lot more ruthless, less patient and ship her out faster than the BBC did.

I hear ya, lol. Some people really do like to get riled up over nothing, don't they? I think a lot of people seem to get the line between real life and the gloss they see on TV blurred. It's almost like it's a UK past time to knock someone for whatever spurious reason they can find just because they can. I guess it's easier for some people to be negative and spiteful.

Like you say, this is her career – she is not doing it out of public service! Lol. As I said, if someone was offered (allegedly) 3 times their current salary, with potentially better prospects, better perks, and better connections within a company whose speciality was better suited to their own, MOST of these people moaning about her WOULD take it – this notion of 'loyalty' would be screwed.

Not sorry to see her go, although she improved slightly she was still bland and unimpressive when it came to judging the dances. She tended to take her lead from the other judges and consistently overscored some pretty average dances. As from her replacement - not an ex celebrity contestant please

No one is moaning. I agree that most would do the same.

I HOWEVER, think BGT is a step down. If she is moving for money than it's a good move, but i just don't think BGT is credible anymore if she is looking to revive her music career.

Oh, C'mon. The whole thing was tabloid generated fuss-out-of-nothing. The “nation” never took sides – in the real world people have lives and it was barely a 15 second talking point over the water cooler. All the fuss was confined to fanatics and the BBC hating media, who set the parameters of the debate - which has little to do with the facts. The BBC lapped up, and possibly instigated every minute of publicity as well – it just bit them back. Did Arlene 'go outside' of Strictly to “fan the flames of a tabloid campaign to denigrate and make life impossible for John Sargeant and Kristina”, or did the tabloids just run with what they wanted to run with? Cherry picking quotes, 'topspinning', changing context, overblowing and misquoting as they normally do? A bit like your comment in fact.

I think John “resigned” because the whole thing was getting rather ridiculous and surreal. He stated himself that there was an actual risk of him winning, and thought it graceful he bow out. I suspect for a 'serious' journalist like himself, he found the whole thing bizarre and silly.

I was no fan of Arlene – I found her cringeworthy to watch – but my point was a contrast to the claime being made in this thread about 'loyalty'. Where's was the loyalty the pro dancers they dropped? Several of which were winners or finalists.