If the intention had been for Joanne to have a celeb partner this year, there would have been an extra week and - given the nature of TV scheduling as I understand it - subsequently reducing the number of celebs and hence how long the series would run for would have been a massive headache for the BBC. I doubt it was ever the intention for Joanne to partner a celebrity, or at least it wasn't the idea for a very long time.

From what I've seen he initially turned it down because of his injury but the BBC kept pushing and told him they'd work around it.

This is SCD where they do the obvious . Remember last year two Irish people had to be partnered, Tristan and Jennifer .

I thought he came across as a nice bloke. Not the sharpest knife in the draw but this isn't Brain of Britain. He wouldn't have lasted that much longer as is, but he may have been better uninjured.

I do think the idea of a fan base is a bit weird. Do people really see who's on and vote for them week after week regardless? I suppose they must do.

Noah Galloway was fabulous and had a pro who choreographed wonderfully for him but he also had to avoid the Jive or the Quickstep because they would have been too painful for him.
He also had a bit more dance talent than Anthony imho.

Good luck to him. Actually went up in my estimation. There is far too much stage managed nonsense surrounding the actual dancing. Everyone trying to say the right thing so they don't rock the boat and potentially lose some votes.

Maybe Strictly producers only had a contigency for one drop-out before the show started. Joanna has no partner this year so perhaps her partner dropped out and Agogo was improbably kept in the show despite a clear injury.

Its perfectly possible to dance well with a missing limb. Check this one legged dancer out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzs9QR3p29M

But some one who is permanently without an arm or leg is different to someone trying to recover from an injury. The former have time to relearn and adjust their balance and movement to the way their body is. A temporary injury won't just stop you losing the arm but will mean you are off your familiar axis etc.

Allow me to reiterate.

Exactly my thoughts. A person with injury won't even be making an effort to learn to live with the injury, their goal is to heal from the injury, which are two completely different scenarios and the physical therapy etc for them is very different.

Strictly - It Takes Two Series 13: Episode 11

Anthony clearly frustrated. He felt by week 5 he would have been able to use his shoulder. He said from week 1 to week 2 to week 3 there had been progress in his shoulder. In week 1 he couldn't high five or put his T-shirt on. But by week 3 he was beginning to create small movements in his shoulder.

He feels he is out before having really gotten going. Zoe Ball said (it was unfair) the judges didn't take into account his injured shoulder. He said he would have liked to have been able to stay until about week 7 - 8.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...-13-episode-11

Unless they had a double elimination planned.

I think they may have done, the fact that Jo is there, and makes it on the titles I think shows she was meant to have a partner at some point who dropped out- The stuff on it takes two etc.... is just way of utilising someone who is contracted to you- I think they may have struggled for willing male celebs this year though

Surely they could have roped in someone from Holby/Casualty to do it though? But yes it does seem like she was supposed to have someone, why else have her there?

Errrr...what's the PTB?

Powers that be

Oh yeah of course! I was still half asleep when I posted though.

As well as the constant worry that the injury will be made worse...

I agree with this. Going into this series I suppose I could class myself as a "fan" of Kellie Bright or Helen George as I like the work they do on their respective TV shows. But it wouldn't make me vote for them if they weren't any good. I'd think it's more relevant to younger viewers (sorry that sounds really patronising) as back in the day if John Taylor from Duran Duran had gone on this show, I would have voted for him as many times as I could regardless of his performance!

How do you explain Anton's cha cha cha disaaaster then. He should be a history. And not just this year, he does a have a huge fandom which I dare not psychoanalyse

I might would assume that maybe she was busy or didn't bother to show up for enough training - except for Anton's bizarre running around her - at least HE could have done decent cha cha steps while she stood there? He should have learned that from all these years of watching the female pros dance around their duds!

I rather meant why they did not leave if people do not vote for their favourites regardless of the quality of the dance. I was reacting to the previous post and did not make it clear.