That gave me the giggles needed a laugh today too

Natalie's journey of course would be to win over those of us who are uneasy of someone with that much training (and in Latin too!) being allowed to take part in the show. It feels innately unfair.

But, whether she has that journey or not, let's not take out our uneasiness on Natalie. She wasn't the decision maker and seems a perfectly nice woman.

The judges are far more exacting of her than the other contestants, and rightly so. However, I do agree that the rest of the line-up seems to be over marked to try and at least make it look like a competition. But that's probably head doing the old 2+2=5 thing, as a year hasn't gone by without marking conspiracies happening. This year is no different

She gurned less on Saturday, so I was able to enjoy her dance - easily the best of the night (and despite her training and Artem's choreography, hers isn't always the best routine for me).

If you can't enjoy it for what it is, go make a cuppa or something during her routine. But please, be mad at the decision, not at Natalie.

Tell me, what are your years of training that have given you the ability to read facial expressions with professional accuracy and untainted by personal prejudice?


Is there a specific number of seconds in hold that a couple must spend in the VW? I don't know, but I'm sure you can enlighten me. I mean, in the same way as there used to be a set number of lifts in the American Smooth and Brendan and Kelly were penalised for an extra lift - except by Bruno, of course, who still gave it a 10.


I had enough of the blasted jurneee in Series 3, which gave us that worthy winner Darren Gough. I'll take good dancing over jurneees any day.

I think Natalie is a great dancer, but for me she started off exceptionally good anyway and as a non dancer I could see that. I am afraid I am one of the people who like to see someone win who really has developed over the course of the series, so I have not voted for her.

Exactly! People like to see a progression. Or even a journey with a dip in the middle and a great fight back. That's why I think Sophie still has a great chance with all those ballroom dances to come.

Natalie's journey is trying to show she is not her Corrie character. Sadly some cannot get past this?

But she's already broken Artem's nose!

Ouch! I think you've just broken Mona's

But then he did push her during training enough to flare up her old back problems.

Well, you can take the girl out of Lancashire...


I do see what you mean. Typically my favourite tends to be a female dancer who starts out strong (Alesha, Kara, Kimberley etc) and, while they do improve greatly, doesn't really have a "journey" but even I have to admit that, much as I like Natalie, there is something a bit unsatisfying about watching someone who was already amazing just continue to be amazing. If Sophie comes out next week and does a good dance after two weeks of terrible Latin, I'll probably get more enjoyment out of seeing her improve than I will from Natalie doing another 10 worthy dance.

Sorry, but I do not see what her Corrie character has to do with it, as I never watch soaps her "character" is unknown to me so it would be irrelevant.

That is exactly what I feel.

As some have already commented in this thread, they cannot see past her Corrie character.

I am like you never seen her in Corrie,

Smug! Self-Satisfied! WOW what original words.... not. Same old, same old every year.

I want to see a couple of good dancers at least or its not worth watching.

And since when have the rules of strictly said 'only people with no dance experience can take part'? You are making up your own rules, and probably being very smug and self-satisfied into the bargain!!

I don't think it's only Natalie struggling with the 'too good' problem. I was struck that when Len said to Abbey on Saturday that she was amazing considering she'd only been dancing for a few weeks, the people I was watching with's reaction was, 'Oh Please!' They were quite convinced she'd had lots of lessons beforehand. Natalie, Abbey, Ashley and Sophie all started at a level where it is hard for them to show improvement, (Sophie isn't said to be not good at Latin so much as 'going backwards') though all of them as they stay in have the chance to get their personalities across and be liked.

To me it works like this:
if you enter Strictly already able to dance, you'll get high scores, great comments, you aren't risking any real humiliation and you'll be safe for weeks so you have the chance to get your personality across and become popular.
if you enter as a beginner, you risk being bad, being criticised, possibly being laughed at by the nation for how crap you are, you have a possibly short time to get your personality across and really have to hope you are popular enough already to give yourself a few weeks.
But if as a learner, you do improve, a lot, and you can do dances that really matter to people, even if they aren't technically perfect, and you can take on the chin the criticism, etc, you can beat the person who arrived able to dance. To be honest that seems fair to me. It seems fairer to me than if being a learner had no advantages at all.

I don't think there is a 'journey' this year, so I think Natalie has a good chance - good luck to her. Nobody has more than a good chance at this stage because we haven't seen the dancing yet. But if someone of the learners does improve and can get themselves to the final and mean a lot to people, good luck to them too.

If you are all waiting for journeys then I am afraid you are wasting your time, nobody other than Natalie is going anywhere other than backwards or standing still................and yes its a real shame that is the case. They are mostly mediocre to poor this year.

From irrational resentment to popular acclaim and ultimate victory via grudging acceptance.

...in a just world.

I agree and I don't think it is doing the other celebs any favours,most of them are getting a hard time for bein overmarked.
The show is a shambles this year,the only half decent celeb is Ashley and he is too busy to train.We are going to get another winner who cant dance.

I just don't see the point.

It's like putting my grandson and me, the milkman, her from next door with the dodgy hip up against Usain Bolt in the 100m. Kinda pointless.

Usain Bolt gets another victory. But it's a hollow victory because there's no competition.

If it's a competition then it's crazy. They should put her left leg in a cast or something. Try to even it up a bit.

Fact is that it's not a competition. It's just a bit of fluff and who makes you go "Ahhh" (Rachel?) or "Phwoar" (Ben?) or "Bravo" (Natalie?) or "WTF was THAT!" (Dave, Mark?).

But some of us are immune to Ben's charms, others think Dave is SO over and so forth. It's no big deal.

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.

They will rig it for her to be in the dance off soon to give her a storyline... that will be her journey

Can you imagine what it's like to train for something for 14 or 15 years, to sacrifice some of what normal children take for granted, to work really hard for hours and hours and days and months and weeks and years and be really good at something, not just talented but skilled through work, only to be told you can't do it anymore because of something outside of your control?

Pants huh?

Natalie's journey started long before strictly 2013, and it's been a big of a roller coaster. She's been in a big dip for ages and now she's edging her way back up to a peak, albeit a temporary one.

Besides, previous experience doesn't transfer without work, Darcy's Jive was very balletic and not very Jivey (although clearly she has some amazing movement in her amazing body) and as far as I can work out Natalie's talent was tap (please correct me if I'm wrong!) and although that might help with a Quickstep or a Charleston, I don't think it would contribute much to a Samba or a Foxtrot. Certainly, it wouldn't help with the lead/follow and connection required for partner dancing.

Agreed. I can understand people hoping she doesn't win (although I disagree) but not those wanting her off the show immediately. This series would be quite poor without Natalie's wonderful dancing.

Her lack of "journey" doesn't remotely bother me, but really, it's not as though she's without narrative anyway. Beautiful dancer, forced to give up on her dream due to injury given an opportunity to reconnect with her first passion and loving it.

Jazz, Latin American, Tap and Cabaret Dancing (whatever that is ).

As a non medical person I have no idea how such a serious back problem that necessitated scans etc could flare up with such apparent drama and then never be referred to again after that weekend's show.

Do back injuries always heal so quickly with such vigorous exercising?