Got to say that if I was in the public eye, I wouldn't go near Twitter.

So true.

Even though I advocate for a better "class" of debate that creates positive arguments for support and avoids ad hominem attacks, I'm not sure that I would go so far as to pity contestants.

Strictly is both well paid and a platform for furthering careers. Contestants receive a lot of money and understand that they expose themselves to this stuff in order to get some career enhancement. That's their choice and I think they make it knowingly.

It's the general social health for the debaters themselves that concerns me. We would ALL be better off if we argued over the issues and made positive cases rather than relying on personal abuse and framing every disagreement in the negative.

Susanna is a decent dancer. Top 3 material but helped immeasurably by the fact that she is the world's sexiest woman.

I'm beginning to wonder if one of Susanna's biggest problems is that she's starting to believe the hype. She isn't a person who strikes me as having a low level of self confidence and I'm getting the feeling that the more she's praised, the more she thinks she's fabulous as she is. Which could lead to putting less into the dance, thinking she's got it nailed already.

I'm sorry to offend Susanna fans, but all I saw on Saturday night was that awful, over the top face she pulls and some not very good dancing. 31 was lucky.

We have BBC Breakfast on a lot in our house (baby up early means telly on to keep mummy awake) and while I never particularly liked her on the show, in the last couple of weeks she has been all but unbearable. Today we turned off as she was just so full of herself it was painful to watch, talking over co-presenters and guests alike as well as pulling faces while others were talking. It was embarrassing.

I get the impression she ignores pretty much all criticism of her (in some ways, a great trait to have, makes life much easier) but I do think that she's in danger of spoiling her chances by thinking she's already got it in the bag.

Susanna isn't my cup of tea but I'm very slowly warming up to her . Slowly lol.
What I like about her is how she always throw herself 100% (a bit too much sometimes ) in her routines.

I appreciate contestants who gives it plenty of welly !!!
I'm not too fond of her dancing but this is how I rank her on the women side : 1-Natalie 2-Abbey 3-Susanna 4-Sophie

She needs to polish a lot of her movements. She's still a bit too messy for my liking. She sacrifices technique over performance a lot imo but if she could find a happy medium, she will be really good imo

To be fair, she did say at the start of the week that she and the Cha Cha were not good friends, and I'm sure that she repeated that later on in the week - she knew that she was not doing so well.

It was one of those dances that she could not take to - most celebs seem to have one such dance.

It constantly astonishes me how some FMs decide they know enough about some contestants to carry out a character analysis like this one the basis of what are actually preconceptions - and misconceptions.

Did you watch ITT last night? Obviously not. In it, Susannah made it plain that she didn't think she was that good, that she really struggled with the CCC and used avoidance tactics throughout training, pulled faces to try and pretend that she liked the dance, that she doesn't think she has anything in the bag and actually looked awkward in the face of praise from Ben and Kristina.

But never mind, it's easier to build up a picture that suits you and helps deflect from your own favourite's weaknesses, isn't it ...?

Indeed, I see a lovely woman who is self-depracating, sweet to others (didn't one of them last week say that she had given her a pep talk just before they went on?) and is supportive of her fellow competitors.

Obviously, though, I'm gullible (or alternatively, not blinded by prejudice, and one's own skewed perceptions of others).


Absolutely.


Me too.


It wasn't 'awful' but hey, that's your opinion (and you know what they say about opinions. (and if you don't look it up).


or be present in the Tesspit, or even - actually, exist. Maybe she should just do away with herself and then people would be happy (yes, exaggeration, but the sort of behaviour that is witnessed on these boards toward contestants borders on online bullying sometimes).


You're obviously watching a different show.


There is no such thing as an 'unnatural' personality. You have no insight into how she really is. You don't know her, have never met her and are making snap judgements because for some bizarre reason, you have taken against her (is her dancing threatening your favourite or something?). You are not a mind reader so how you can purport to believe this stuff you come out with is beyond me.

It's also quite sad.


Indeed.


No, no facts here, please. let's just rant away against somebody we don't know and are never likely to meet for no good reason.


Me too. It's quite scary to think that some people have this ability and think nothing of sharing it with others for no reason other than to look big and clever.

Unfortunately, such behaviour is not big and it's not clever. Quite the opposite.


It's actually quite sad, really. But keyboard warriers seem to think they have the right to spout vitriol about anyone on TV because they don't believe they are real human beings (indeed, apparently, they are fake personalities).

God help any of you if you become well-known, because you'll be subject to the same abuse. Karma will catch up (it will do so anyway)..


Hmm - not sure whether that's the case or not; however, it certainly seems to be woman in general.


Absolutely, Servalan. I suspect the same. She comes across as a lovely woman with no axe to grind, unlike some people.

Criticise the dancing but when you lower yourself to make nasty and unnecessary and completely unprovoked remarks about someone's personality then you've already lost your case.

It says much more about those indulging in such behaviour than it does about their target (and Susanna is not the only one in the firing line. It happens every year, which is why I have stayed off these boards this year, aside from maybe one or two posts. It has ruined the show for me in previous years and I got sick to death of defending all and sundry against the disgusting personal attacks that were being launched. It's sad that things haven't changed one iota and that people are still indulging in it).

There's no excuse. None.

*cyber hugs Cally's mum - and Buddy*

Sanity ROCKS!!!

Hi

I made it very clear in my reply that this was just my opinion and everyone is entitled to one of those. As none of us knows any of the celebs involved in the show, what we think of them can only be a perception based on what we see.

I watched ITT and I have heard Susanna talk about her problems with the cha, cha over the last eight days or so. I was talking about how she has come across to me through the series as a whole.

I think she has a good chance of winning - my point was whether she was undoing her chances by going OTT.

I'm sorry if people are offended by others expressing an opinion.

Don't worry, Servalan didn't quote you in her post - your analysis was fair and in line with what you'd observed, rather than a perception based on prejudice. Well, that's how I interpreted it anyway!

I don't watch breakfast TV so had not come across Susanna before Strictly. She is certainly enthusiastic and is giving it 100%, which is pretty awesome given her other commitments. I haven't warmed to her, but I really can't put my finger on why that should be, since I ♥ Kevinfromsomewherenorthofwatford. I won't be voting for her, but neither will I be terrifically surprised when she wins this series, since there does appear to be widespread support for her.

I don't think Susanna is a great dancer by any means, but when has that stopped a celebrity from lifting the glitterball? Popularity is the name of the game, and if she is playing that game better than the others, then fair play and good luck to her.

Thanks, peeve. I totally agree that Susanna's popularity has soared in the last few weeks and I think she's all but guaranteed a place in the final. And Kevin has really cemented his place as part of the SCD family.

I've not really found my fave celeb this year, it's been so wide open on dancing and popularity fronts, and I have to say I've enjoyed watching it a lot more than in the years where I've really wanted one particular contestant to grab the trophy.

No 'Cally's Mum' - it WAS awful - fact.

There's a difference between 'an opinion' and a character assassination.

Of course you free to think whatever you want and suppprt whoever you want.

But making personal attacks based on fiction or fantasy is rather different. And Cally's mum is right, it's usually the women who are the targets.

Not a fact.

The fact is you didn't like it. Which is fine, of course.

But you are confusing fact with opinion.

Blimes, deja vu here. I've said the same thing on the 'Natalie. technical thread'. Sorry to see people targeting another individual.

In fairness, Natalie's previous training in dance is a fact.

What isn't are the accusations that she is 'smug', etc.

Agree, but there are ways of referring to past experience without the nastiness that can, at times, accompany it.

Hi

It certainly was not a personal attack or a character assassination, it was an observation based on my perception.

As I mentioned, none of us know the celebs so we can't possibly do anything other than form perceptions of how they come across to us.

We all know that a celeb's popularity is just a much a part of their winning Strictly as their dancing ability. And the point I was making was that Susanna has a great chance of winning this but is a perception of her being over confident hampering her chances? Just as people love actors who have taken part because they're in a show they love or a singer they've always liked, so TV presenters have a persona away from the competition and that will factor into how they come across.

As a woman, I'm certainly not in the habit of attacking other women and I'm guessing that you're not accusing me of that.

No, that's your opinion, not a fact.

I feel a bit like that this year - there are several I'd like to see get to the final, mainly because we then get to see all of their possible dances, but I really don't mind who wins.

Much better than diving into the spoiler thread every Saturday night worrying whether your favourite is going to be there or not.

Of course.

I've supported plenty of people in the past who have had minimal dance training because they are actors - but Natalie's experience goes just a little too far over the line for me. I wouldn't, however, sink to some of the trashing we've seen of any contestant. I just don't see the point and, as Cally's mum rightly says, it reflects more on the FMs spouting bile than it does on their targets.

Do you think she is perceived as over confident? Certainly, those who read Fiona's blog in the 'Telegraph' might get that impression but as someone who is ambivalent towards her, she just comes across as someone enjoying the whole experience and on Saturday, very worried about being in the dance off before her name was called.

I thought that's how Fiona's blog came across as well.

Susanna does seem to divide opinions as either being super confident or super enthusiastic.

Having watched Breakfast for years (someone has to, it used to be my day job to know about news) I've always found her very confident but I really don't think that's a bad thing. A lack of confidence is far more harmful - as the judges love to tell the SCD stars!