I also don't get where people are getting a diva vibe from her, I assume they're carrying all her pre-SCD baggage into this show and making the assumption she is difficult. Kirsty is the only one giving off diva vibes.

In the era were the Eastern Europeans have brought tons of showbiz and theatrical styles to SCD his choreography does seem "old school" and a bit dull though.

She is that's what I meant Tristan is a good partner for her, possibly calming her down.

I too find Tristan's coreography rather boring, but that's a matter of taste, and many people seem to enjoy his work.
I' was shocked to see how good Jamelia was in the week she was taught by the charleston professionals though - what a transformation. That really makes me question Tristan's ability as a teacher. I don't think Jamelia is reaching her full potential with Tristan as a partner.

I have no idea if Jamelia would have left this show a better dancer with another pro.

I do think though that IMO she is coming across mush better than she ever has on Loose Women and Tristan may very well be a part of that.

I think he's lovely.

As nice as he comes across, Tristan has yet to impress me not as a dancer (he is great) but as a choreographer and teacher.

Last year, I gave him a bye because he was stuck with non-dancer Jennifer. This year, he should be getting much more out of Jamelia. She stood out as one of the better females in the Launch Night group dance, showing some good attitude, but has been a shadow of herself since linking up with Tristan. I don't believe she is as difficult to work with as is widely believed, especially as she is so far out of her comfort zone on SCD. I believe she is ready to learn but is not getting the best experience from Tristan, though he does give her the support she needs in tough times (DOs etc).

Before the pairings, I had Jamelia partnered with Brendan. The more I think about it, the more I think it would have panned out better (on both sides) if Jamelia & Kirsty swapped partners. J & B would have been explosive but he would have pushed her to her limits and beyond. Kirsty needs a gentler approach which Tristan would have provided in spades.

Hee hee!

In what way could she be a handful? She does get over excited at times, but she has not demonstrated any diva-like traits or have been difficult in any way on the show.

What's his nationality got to do with anything. I didn't realise being Irish was seen as an advantage. Didn't help Daniel much

I think he is a lovely chap, nice dancer and hasn't had great luck with the two celebs he has been given.

I agree with BrendansBabe...if he was gushing with his celeb he would be getting called all sorts and if he was cold, likewise.

All I see is a thoroughly lovely chap, doing his best with the talent, or lack off that he has been given.

I know he wasn't brought in to replace Robin but he seems to get the kind of celeb (so far) that Robin used to be paired with and with whom he was more successful. I guess the proof of his ability will be seen when he has a real contender - if he ever gets one.

I really wonder about the demographic of the Jamelia haters , they all seem to have certain assumptions about her that isn't borne out of any evidence seen so far in the show

That is very true - I'm not British and don't live in the UK, so I have a very limited pre-strictly knowledge of the celebs. I'd never seen Jamelia before and she comes across as very nice on Strictly.
I think I've read somewhere that Tristan doesn't enjoy teaching. His results would confirm that.

I think Tristan seems lovely and I don't think Jamelia would be doing any better with another partner. However, judging by Tristan's interviews with his fan site he does seem to have a different attitude to the show to most of the other pros. He seems to see Strictly (and DWTS) for the manipulated pantos they basically are, rather than treating it like a life or death dance comp like some of them. I believe he also said he doesn't do the 'Best friends forever' stuff and then you don't see each other again once you're voted out. I think that's probably quite a healthy attitude, but it doesn't necessarily make for a hugely dynamic pro who will push someone to the limits of their abilities. I don't know if he would become more competitive if he had a true contender, but I think he is good in the 'Robin' role and I prefer what he does to all Robin's side-by-side jazz hands routines.

Where do you think you read that

That seems mighty bizzare to me.

Why would he go on a high profile TV show where it was a prequisite to teach a celeb to dance if he didn't like teaching.

Agree with all of this, don't know what their dance is for next week but I hope that they blow it out of the park, Tristan is doing a great job with jamelia, she is not a natural dancer and finds it difficult but she works hard, she takes the judges comments on board and tries to improve. Tristan is very supportive of her you can see that he encourages her all the time , she is inclined to get upset, no way should they have been in the dance off there was four or five worse dancers than her.

The three positives that get brought up to defend are always "he's hot", "he's lovely" and "he's Irish". A lot of people are drawn to the accent and the major function of new male pros these days is to get women flustered in the down-belows. If he had a Brummie accent I doubt he'd be so vociferously protected.

I think Tristan is very supportive to Jamelia, I think she is a bit of a handful, I would rather a hundred like him than 1 K.C.!!

that really is a load of poppycock Tristan worked as a dance teacher for a friend of mine who runs a major dance school in Boston USA - he was a popular and great teacher which he only moved on from when he joined DWTS

Ok, sorry, pretty sure I read it on here, but must be wrong then.

I think you've misremembered that. I think teaching is what he enjoys the most (and helping his celebrity get out of the experience, what they want from it). That's certainly the impression I've had from interviews.

His 'results' are inconclusive. He had a hopeless dancer last year who wasn't very committed in terms of time, and a partner this year with potential, but no self belief (and maybe less talent than I think she has). On the US show, he was the go-to pro for the sick and the old, and it was my impression he always developed a great bond with his partners who went much further into the comp than their ability would suggest.

I don't know if he's doing better or worse with Jamelia than another pro would have done, but I think he's probably the right fit for her in terms of their personalities. I do detect a degree of disinterest or disillusionment with his Strictly experience in general, though.

I thought in the interview that's being referenced he said he wasn't a big fan of choreographing rather than not being a big fan of teaching, although I might be misremembering that as well.

No, that's correct. He was asked what he enjoyed most, was it coming up with routines/ choreography? and he said, no not really, it's teaching blah, blah... wtte anyway.

ETA: Somewhere in this video trying on clothes with a girl called Stuart and a boy called Rib.....(vid probably shows why people are charmed by him, too )

ETA:I slightly misremembered, too .. just rewatched and he was asked would he be choregraphing group numbers (partner retired from comp through injury) and he said that sort of thing was fun, but "I'm not really a choreographer. I like teaching"

'Every year'
This is only the second year he has been on the show!
He had a dud partner last year i think he is doing ok with Jamelia.

Tristan rocks.

Rubbish! He was lovely with Jennifer last year. And i think he is being supportive of Jamelia.

Eeuw, right, very sorry, I clearly remembered that wrong then. The old brain is not what it used to be 🙈

You must include Brendan and Anton in that too..