With her extensive ballet training and boundless enthusiasm for the show, a lot of us were expecting Fiona to be a Pamela/ Cherie type older lady- one who is consistently at (or near) the top of the leaderboard and looking like a genuine contender for the glitterball.

However, her dances so far have either been awkward and ungainly from the start, or peppered with so many mistakes that it detracts from their overall quality. Her Quickstep this week was a breakthrough (although in my mind, somewhat overmarked) but I wonder if it's too little too late for Fiona to make any serious headway as a contender.

Do you think she'd be in a stronger position had she not landed Anton? I can't help but feel a slightly sturdier task master, such as Artem or James, would have been a fetter fit to encourage the very best from Fiona. As much as she and Anton seem to enjoy a friendly, enthusiastic partnership, his choreography and teaching methods seem to be at odds with what's best for Fiona, and thus, she's slipping ever further into the dangerous crevice that is "not good enough to be saved on merit, not bad enough to be saved for a laugh".

What do you think?

Artem would have killed her by now. And bought her roses. And killed her again. Just for offering him endless tea. Rinse and repeat. She's doing ok with Anton.

Hmmm...of current crop I am not sure. I can only think Ian might have been good aside height difference.

No she wouldn't

If she was with James she might have got to do one of his patented ghost waltzes or sensual older lady rumbas but really I'm not sure she would be a contender with any of the other pros.

I find Fiona's main problem is that she has little confidence (probably due to not performing in years) so falls to pieces as soon as she makes a mistake. One of the main reasons her Quickstep looked so much better than her other dances is because she was able to continue unfazed when she went wrong.

James seems to be good with the biddies. So she might have been better with him.

I believe she is with the right partner. I am not Anton's greatest fans since the Laila incident, but I can see he is very good with Fiona and his choreography is geared towards Fiona's acting ability and some basic dance steps that Fiona can cope with.

She's no spring chicken but hardly a biddy (well not to me but I', not much younger )

No, think she's actualy well matched with Anton. I think his lack of Latin ability isn't hurting her like it might with one of the other female celebs as I don't think her potential is as much any, imo.

I agree with those who've said that they are well-suited as a pairing and that Fiona obviously has confidence issues.

However I do feel that Anton's lack of Latin may be a hindrance, especially if they stay in a little while longer.

I do hope he enlists the help of another pro (as others have done in the past when producing a type of dance unfamiliar to them ... there's nothing wrong at all with recognising your own limits) should the situation arise.

I think she's doing pretty well with Anton, discounting the Rhumba.

I think Anton is the right partner for her. It has taken them both a while to find a way of coping with her nerves - and self confessed perfectionism. She seemed happier last week and seemed OK in her training video on ITT this week - depending on her ankle injury she may do well this week. I hope so for both their sakes.

Not a very nice thing to say about Fiona. A bit derogatory isn't it. I would say Widdicombe is an old biddy because she is plain nasty and nosey. But Fiona is so nice.

No. She's not that good. Anton is a perfect fit.

lol James's epitaph:

Good with Biddies!

I think they are a perfect match. Artem would have frightened the life out of an already nervous Fiona. I could actually see James & Robin working well with her but Fiona seems to adore Anton and was delighted when it was revealed he would be her partner. Anton's lack of Latin expertise shouldn't be a problem. Obviously, if he had a real contender like Natalie, I'm not sure he could challenge her enough, particularly in the later stages of competition, but Fiona is unlikely to need more challenging choreography than he can provide.

No. I think her issues with confidence may not just be because she's chosen to opt out of most performing for years and live in the country, but may be why she made that decision in the first place. I don't think any pro would have helped with them - I don't think she has the drive of a Cherie or a Pamela. A fiercer pro would just look more grumpy when she went wrong. She seems pleased to have Anton, and the dances he's good at suit her, plus I suspect part of the reason she's lasted longer than Deborah is Anton's own support and how well he knows how to play to it (stuff like the thing about 'the first time he's had an 8 since 1974' or something like that).

well i do
anton can't dance latin for toffee.
and he lacks any physicality. the fact that he never breaks into a sweat, wearing jumpers and suits to practice, says it ALL

Good grief and you manage to know that from the 30 second vt shown on ITT.

no. i know that from every single VT ever shown since series 1.

You will also know that he doesn't always wear one then but I guess you already have the knives out.

eh? knives? what are you talking about.

Because sweating is the test of good dancing these days?
There was a time when ballroom dancing was about technique not athletics..

I don't think Fiona is technically up to much so I don't think being pushed to perform very complicated dances would help her to improve. I think elegance is probably about her limit.

I'm not a huge fan of Anton's but it's quite nice to see him being able to work with someone who isn't a 'joke' contestant.

I think she can cope with more and would with a more ambitious pro. She's naturally good but not being stretched.

I think the fact that her innate talent isn't recognised is not a good sign that Anton can highlight her strenghths