I wasn't impressed at all with the lift.
I notice it straight off and thought WTH?!
If she wanted to make a first impression, it wasn't a good one.
As far as I know she's a pro dancer for god sake and she knows the rules.

I remember all the fuss on here when Natalie was on her first series and said she wanted get ta perfect score on her first dance!
At least she wanted to in the most professional of ways.

As for the producers, I believe they knew it would get them headlines so they were perfectly fine with her doing it.
Did they plan it themselves, I'm not so sure about that however they deliberately gave her the green light to do it knowing that at least Craig would penalise her for it.

Hope this her first and last stunt and she won't pull anymore crap like this because she says she wants to win but she won't do that if she feels the need to break the rules.
Really do feel sorry for Nicky that he has landed her as a partner (at the moment).

Craig was right but very OTT. Also - I didn't warm to Karen & Nicky last night at all.

This the thing that confuses most; I've seen the routine and I still don't know why she made that 'professional' desision.

Her feet were miles off the floor, no way could that have been anything other than deliberate.

I thought it was very foolish and smug of her to keep it in when she had been warned by so many people what the rules are. If it was a 'professional decision' then she's got very poor professional judgement as I thought it made her look like she doesn't care about the rules.

I thought Craig was spot on, particularly given Karen's expression that said she clearly didn't care. I get the feeling she might not learn from the telling off, whereas Aliona did, and Brendan hasn't broken the rules since he was told off for it either...

Hiya!

I think the fact that she tweeted about it means there is no doubt it was a deliberate lift. Not impressed at all.

'professional decision' could mean 'I want to be offered a job next year'

Why Nicky, he didn't do anything wrong. I feel sorry for him being partnered with her.

Which of the 178 times are we talking about here? He was still throwing in lifts for Lulu last series...

Artem and Aliona have been the two pros who have most ignored the rules over the last two series, and they're the two who won. I don't think a little antagonism with the judges is a bad thing, and it's clearly rallied the fans on many occasions. I think Karen might have played the card a little early, but it's not a bad one to play. Especially as the lift was about the only part of the routine done elegantly...

Karen should have consontrated her efforts on correcting nickys frame and shoulders which were very bad,instead of trying to get noticed for an illigal lift, i feel that was very unfair to him, he could be a good dancer with proper coaching imo.

So now we have a couple of "doughnuts" among the pros with an apparent penchant for lifts/excessive amount of lifts


They know the rules - no lifts in any dance other than the AS, AT and Charleston (and showdance)

La Hardy picked up on the lift straightaway - will be interesting to hear Karen's version of why the lift was put in when she is on ITT with Nicky

And salsa. And when Craig is making notes.

Really didnt notice the lift too busy watching them two hotties bodies and not the feet.

Aliona didn't break the rules when she won, she hasn't actually broken the rules since she was told off for doing it her year on the show.

Brendan had to throw lifts in for Lulu as anything was better than her posing on the floor, so I can forgive him for that. Nicky has the potential to be an ok dancer yet Karen decided a controversial lift was a better idea than correcting his posture.

And she was so smug about it when the judges pulled her up on it, her attitude annoyed me more than the lift itself!

She wanted to "make an impression" presumably.

Shame it was the wrong impression...