She can speak better English than Emma Bunton.

Katerina Witt can do no wrong in my eyes.

I loved watching her as a figure skater and I respect her in her role as judge. I'm still stunned DOI managed to secure her to be honest - I hope she becomes a permanent fixture.

And I had no problem understanding her whatsoever. I thought she was very articulate.

She gets a 6.0 from Sid!

i though this aswell, i think she is a great addition to the show and is more than qualified to judge this competition.

I really like her. I understand her perfectly well and I think her constructive criticism is very professional even if I disagree with her or find her a bit too harsh at times. I think for her first show she did especially well. It's great to have a panel where every judge knows what they're talking about and has a successful career of their own to back it up. Even Louie Spence is doing well and I can't stand him normally!

I too liked her she was pleasant clear and gave constructive criticism and I could understand every word she said.

And isn't it refreshing having a panel of people who all know what they're talking about and are genuinely passionate about their subject, rather than pretty faces like Emma Bunton or so-called "personalities" like Jason?

I thought she was bloody great

I also struggled to understand her accent.

Completely fabulous and gave what was a vacuous show last year a little touch of dignity. (helped by the dollie with the huge... not being there)

She's brilliant. She obviously knows her stuff and carries a lot of credibility as a skater, but she was very articulate, was able to express herself clearly and use a varied and precise vocabulary to explain what she liked, or didn't like, and did so with personality.

I had no issues with her accent at all. I'm amazed anyone did.

I had no problems understanding everything Katarina said.

I couldn't understand a word Jorgie said in her VT, however, Jorgie's performance more than made up for that

It's nice to have a female judge who isn't touted as "bitchy" or "Ice queen" or anything like that.

She seems genuinley nice.

Me too! I did a sort of dropped jaw gasp and said excitedly 'That's Katarina Witt!' I think the cat was impressed...

She is practically perfect in every way and I loved her articulate, fair and constructive comments, even when I didn't necessarily agree with them. She even managed humour, FFS, which is definitely not easy in a second language.

I am amazed that some people found her hard to understand.

Deleted - double post, sorry!

Another vote for Katarina here. She knows what she's talking about unlike some previous judges, and as others have pointed out, she speaks English better than many English people.

BIB: I couldn't either, glad it's not just me. I agree about her (Jorgie's) performance which was beautiful.
Last edited by laineythenomad : 11-01-2012 at 10:51

In terms of foreigners speaking English it depends where/by whom they were taught. In terms of accents of natives I think we can all point to those we find easier to understand than others, no matter what our own accent is.

I really liked her.

I am old enough to remember her skating competitively. I think she makes a positive contribution to the panel. It was a good move to appoint her.

Those who claim(?) to not be able to understand her are just being lazy. As someone who has worked all over the UK and Europe, I have been humbled by the trouble people from other countries go to to speak MY language. A little effort on my part to understand them is no big deal.

As for UK dialects, I once had to explain to a Scot from Airdrie what another Scot, from Elgin was saying. They are only about 150 miles apart!

She makes sense to me on two counts, 1, her english makes sense to me and 2, her being a judge also makes sense.
What's not to understand?!

I had absolutely no problem in understanding Katarina.

What?

I thought Katarina was excellent and her English is amazing! I didn't have the slightest problem understanding her.

You know what comes to mind... That Little Britain sketch, Fat Club? Where the woman can't understand anything 'a foreigner' says, not because they have a thick accent, but because they are foreign.

Snap, the same thing comes to my mind whenever I read a comment stating ' I can't understand a word he/she is saying' about regional or foreign presenters. Often I find the comments are thinly veiled or that the posters lack tolerance.

I like her for obvious reasons

Believe me: She's not nice.

Katarina Witt is one of the most annoying celebrities we've got in Germany. She always wears the same fake smile, and I guess she would be ready to sell her own grandmother if the price was right.

In the 80s, she was one of the most privileged athletes in the GDR, she praised the socialist system, she even held a speech in the East German parliament ("What I have achieved - I owe it all to the GDR"). A few years later, she immediately blended in with the new capitalist system, using her good looks and her Olympic medals as a door opener. Katarine Witt is probably the only East German "Wendehals" (turncoat) that got away with this kind of opportunism. All other celebrities and politicians who tried to do this have failed in one way or another.