brilliant, sofakat!

Every week since Strictly started I've had people coming to my website searching for "Darcey Bussell nose job." I mean, can't a person have their own nose these days ??? Hysterical.

I'd certainly agree there's no need to go criticising Darcey's appearance. I mean really, it's not as if any woman's got a perfect face, and she usually does an excellent job with her outfits, accessories, hair and make-up - interesting without being outre and perfectly age-appropriate etc. (Although I did take issue with whoever let her wear the polka-dot shoes with the Sunday show dress - they really didn't go )

I also like Darcey's practical comments - things like the advice about tight hamstrings for Nicky and telling Dani about the 'necklace' effect - which non-dancing viewers can understand very clearly and see why it's needed to create the right effect.

There are times when I don't like her delivery and think she needs to be a bit clearer and less rambling. And if she's really got a great sense of humour then I wouldn't expect her to react in what I thought was really quite a petulant way when being jokingly accused of fancying Louis. But on the whole, I'd happily keep Darcey over Alesha or Arlene any day of the week.

Nooooooo! They didn't? OMG. Aren't people odd?

I have my own nose, and it is not a pretty thing - thank you Grandad!

Do you think I should have been allowed to go out in public or, worse still, performed on stage?

Thank God for stage makeup is all I can say. It served me well for many years As did my nose.

Darcey entered White Lodge at a late age and found herself miserable, two years behind her contempoaries. From the dunce in class she worked herself to the top of the school.
When she went to dance for 6 months in the Kirov Ballet the Russian dancers, best in the world, were not happy about an Englishwoman challenging them on their turf.

The best are true to one constant attribute, even in their sleep they always want to excel.

Was she told? I doubt that the BBC would have said anything in its pursuit of ratings.

But why did Alesha feel the need to learn to dance and not feel the need to learn very basic English grammar? And society thinks that's fine. This is not an issue of class. In fact by ignoring rather than eliminating grammar difficulties, "inclusive" school teachers have done a dis-service to working class people. Just a question of ignorance of one's own language.

Accent aside, most of the foreign pro dancers (Vincent apart) speak better English than Alesha.

I think Darcey gets better each week - can't imagine the show without her now. She makes me realise how little Alesha contributed to the show. I liked Alesha being on the panel for the fun factor but she was unable to provide advice that might help the celebs to improve their dancing.

Can all the posters acting like Alesha was a garbled incoherent Wild Woman of Wongo gnawing away at the bars of her cage and communicating via a series of primeval grunts please remind me of any grammatical errors she ever made other than "you was" vs "you were"? You know, the one Len makes on a week-by-week basis as well?

I totally agree with you. Maybe the BBC wouldn't have spoken to Alesha directly about it, but her agent/friends/advisors would have been well aware what was being said (ad nauseum) on this forum for one. Someone will have pointed it out. How did Darcey find out about the "yahs"? She had stopped within the week. Smart woman!

not getting the stuff with her nose. What is supposed to be wrong with it - it looks a very nice little nose to me!

Precisely. Darcey wants a career outside of ballet now and she is doing what she can to get one. If that includes modifying certain aspects of her performance, that's what she'll do.

Darcey gives great advice to the dancers on how to improve their performance. Her marking sometimes is a bit strange and doesn't always tally with her comments, but she really understands dance and the mechanism of moving your body to music. She is such a huge improvement on Alesha.

I had a good look at Darcey's leg swinging. Was that it? From the comments I thought she had a leg vibrating twitch which many nervous people show sitting down.

God I love Darcey......when I grow up I want to be just like her. So much style, class and elegance. So cool and refined. Like a modern day Audrey Hepburn.

Long time ago thankfully. Happy to play spot Len's grammar shockers.

A difference is that Len may have left school very early and perhaps does not know any better.

Alesha is a product of our modern education system. I have less of a problem with Alesha, who clearly felt that speaking grammatically correct English is either unnecessary or damaging to her career, than with a society that encourages and applauds her in this.

If as you claim it was just "you was" - why didn't she correct it? Easier than straightening a thumb!

Alesha is stunning,why don't you show us a photo of yourself. How dare you say she was common and tacky, she always looks beautiful and was so elegant whilst dancing with Matthew.
I think it's her working class accent that you are really offended by, but she could look better than a room full of hooray Henriettas with cut glass accents.

What? You missed it? Oh, it was priceless. As you know, it all started with her accents and her 'yahs' and then swiftly moved on to how wide her nostrils were, why the end of her nose was pointy and whether she'd had a nose job. On and on it went. Quite barking.

All crucial elements, you understand, to her ability to judge.

The class bit I shall not trouble you with but we know it is all down to deep, deep insecurity and who the hell wants to go there

Oh dear me.

So, nothing then.

So you're quite happy to say "Alesha can't utter a single sentence in grammatically correct English." and that she should spend months learning how to speak the language properly, based on one (albeit niggling) error?

And it's Alesha that needs to check how she expresses herself?

Got you.

I don't believe anybody has commented on Alesha's accent. Or even hinted at it. Just her poor English grammar.

Well, thanks for that. I have been lucky enough to see her dance on a few occasions and her nose doesn't look any different now to how it did fifteen years ago. She is one good looking elegant lady who knows how to make the most of what she's got.

Like you I shall ignore the class thing. I never understand what it's about and never will. Speaking well, making the very best of your natural assets is about being smart.

Totally agree - Alesha is absolutely stunning - gorgeous looking. Just wish the way she speaks didn't let her down so. For the older posters amongst us - Lorraine Chase anyone!

Most of Asia and all of Europe speak better English than the English - and they learn grammar too - as a matter of course.

I don't much care about accents, but being able to speak coherently is rather important if you want people to listen to you and understand your ideas.

'Well jell, innit, like bro' won't have much impact when it matters.

That's true, but then Lorraine made a career out of speaking that way, all part of the act. And she could drop it whenever she wanted to. With Alesha, I don't think she even noticed and that has necessarily limited her range in terms of the jobs she gets offered.

Eh! [I thought you spotted a typo - which I often make and admit to and try to avoid]

It is you who suggested that she made a single error. I can't remember how many as I switched off but since you mentioned Len I am quite happy to spot his error(s).

If it was one error that should have been five minutes remedial work not months of grammar classes. Job done surely? What was her problem? Bloody-minded? Hip Branding?

OK I remember she also said "I were" even when she wasn't using the Past (or Future) Subjunctive. Does that count as (at least) two?

You were the one trying to make the case, and I repeat, that "Alesha can't utter a single sentence in grammatically correct English.". And now you can't back it up, even remotely, so you're resorting to "oh I can't remember" and "oh it's so long ago". Utter piffle, and you know it, when her grammar is no worse than Len's or Bruno's, her general communication skills are far superior to mumbly, incoherent Arlene, and she fortunately lacks the habit of making up words to make her sound superior that marks Craig's speech-patterns.

She didn't change it, I would imagine, because she feels no need to micromanage a minor defect in her grammar just to please detractors who would clearly find something to jump up and down on no matter what she did. There are far better things in life to focus on than jumping through hoops to please snobby pedants with agendas who live in glass houses.