I like her, the giggling can be a bit much, and I didn't watch her on the Bear Grylls thing, but generally I think she's working pretty hard, seems genuinely delighted when others do well and I've seen little to dislike about her. There are others that can go before her. A confidence boost would do her the world of good.

I think this is just a story that escalated by having a little plausibility. I distinctly remember someone said she had been teaching in Sylvia Young (until she was in EE, I think they said), and someone replied saying that would have probably included dance. It has since become accepted that yes, she taught dance at SY. Like many other rumours, start with a kernel of truth and it all becomes totally exaggerated.

Jay, Anita, Georgia and Peter looking Good in training.

my scores for the training:

Anita&Gleb - 8

Carol&Pasha - 5 ( i can't see any rumba in the dance or in the song)

Georgia&Giovanni - 7

Helen&Aljaz - 6

Jay&Aliona - 9

Jamelia&Tristan - 6

Jeremy&Karen - 6

Katie&Anton - 7

Kellie&Kevin - 8

Kirsty&Brendan - 6

Peter&Janette - 7

Doesn't it say in the article that she has been back to Sylvia Young for secret training sessions or am I reading it wrong. Perhaps Kellie should be as honest as Jay about whether or not she has had any dance training. If she did this then it would settle it once and for all. Perhaps she has said something, and if so could someone please provide a link because I haven't seen anything yet.

Here's one. Certainly I don't think she's been any less honest than Jay has.

I think it was me who said I hadn't seen any press about Kellie, when I was getting myself way too worked up and defensive last night. So I stand corrected - I've no arguments with how she's presenting herself there.

Poor Kellie has been decimated in other threads in a very personal way. I'm not even a fan, but some of it is just vicious.

I blame Anton for that.

Now that's going too far .

I hadn't seen that, thanks for posting it. It does seem from that article though that she has been having training sessions at Sylvia Young more recently so I would question its been 23 years since she did any sort of dancing.

Could I just say that I have absolutely no problem with people having had previous training (supported Natalie Gumede) but I do like to be in full possession of the facts and that's why I respect Jay for being so open about his training.

It's a vague line with no detail from a Daily Mail gossip column printed a month after she started on the show, but if you want to use it to insinuate that Kellie's a liar then go ahead I guess.

Sylvia Young does not really do Ballroom and Latin as part of their curriculum so if she has been doing dance sessions it certainly will not be in that style - having a few friends who teach ballroom and latin there on an ad-hoc basis they say it is just a smattering of the dances and nothing in depth like the other stage related dances the school concentrates on

In interviews I have seen of Kellie she has been up front about dance training saying it was part of her time at Sylvia's but not ballroom and latin and once she was cast in Upper Hand at 13 acting took over and the music and dance took a back seat

I have no problem re previous training as long as it is not ballroom and latin and as with most stage school or colleges ballroom and latin plays little part some training can help but often - Ballet for example can hinder more than help with latin technique

Now come on. I'm not insinuating that shes a liar. Ive always respected your knowledge and input Monkseal but I'm disappointed that you are trying make out that Ive said something when I haven't.

Thanks for that information. Not being any expert at all on dancing, I wouldn't have known that. Could you clarify then whether Jay's previous training would have included ballroom and latin and whether his training would have given him an unfair advantage over the others. Thanks. I know you know your stuff because Ive been on the forum reading your posts for a good many years.

It did seem a bit like that. People often believe what they want to believe on here.

Sorry, that was admittedly pretty ratty. I've been up since 5am I need a coffee.

To be fair- one person's "But we should be told openly about their past dance history" is someone else's, "They have- you just haven't read that particular article". Gone are the days when there were just three or four tabloid papers to read- there are hundreds of sources now, and nobody -not even Monkseal- could read all of them!

Call me naive, but I don't think there's a deliberate cover-up anywhere, just different celebs talking to different news outlets at different times and different viewers reading/seeing them at different times. ie- a slightly mis-managed mess because it's just an entertainment show.

Apology accepted

Short of having a Ringah klaxon at the start of the dance and a subtitle shown throughout the dance saying "alert- dance experience - alert" I don't know what people want the BBC to do.

Let's be honest here, most people see Strictly as a bit of fluff to watch on Saturday. If you care enough to vote, their experience is there written on the website. If you don't care enough about the show to go on FB where you can easily find out levels of experience, you probably don't care past voting for whoever entertained you the most,

from what | know of the academy he went to as with most of the type ballroom and latin would not have been on offer and from what I have seen hip hop, lyrical, ballet and contemporary seems to be what he studied most. Whilst any dance training helps and he obviously has a talent imo considering those others who have had training too do not think it is unfair - and I always think judges mark the front runners to a higher standard and it evens out a bit - as with anything Jay still has to work hard - he tackles harder routines and therefore like the beginners can make a mistake (take the quickstep for instance) so whilst I do think it can be an advantage do not think it is an unfair one

I think irritation regarding past dance experience occurs when a person doesn't like the participant. DVO's denial was deeply irritating and I didn't like how she seemed as a participant on SCD. In fact it turned me off her completely. Similarly I wasn't sure about Natalie Gumede and so held her dance experience against her for a while but as the competition continued and I grew to like her more as a participant her previous training mattered less too. Pixie Lott I took to immediately and her dance training never bothered me. Jay's dance training does not bother me, neither does Helen's or Kellie's.

What I find helpful is when the judges mention how previous dance training can hinder the participant. This is interesting to me and lessens any sense of them having an advantage. As someone has written above, provided they are not trained to a high degree in standard or latin ballroom I don't mind.

What excuses? Are they the same ones you used to defend Natalie!? Why are they suddenly excuses now that you don't wish to employ them?

Thanks for explaining that. To me Jay is more the hip hop, contemporary dance sort of guy and, as you say, he has to work hard which appears to be doing.

I've never been bothered about past training .. couldn't care less. I didn't like DVO at all and did laugh at her 'I only sat on a chair' assertions but her past training didn't bother me .. it was her past behaviour that did. She'd been p*ssing me off for years and she continued to do it on Strictly.

I couldn't take to Natalie .. never really could connect with her as she seemed reserved but I liked her dancing very much. It's a pleasure actually to see people .. that you might have only seen in Corrie etc .. take to the floor and produce magic.

I was/am a big fan of Kimberley, Ali, Kara, Pixie and Caroline .. all of which were hit with the ringer stick. They were lovely dancers AND nice people IMO.

This is only local knowledge of area of Nottinghamshire. (Hasten to add I like Jay, but also like Anita and Jeremy )

It's an hour plus school bus journey from Farndon to All Saints School in Mansfield (a good comprehensive) on a double decker bus, plus hanging about for the bus at each end - probably adds 1 and 1/2 hours each way. So not that much time in the evenings to do loads of training (though still Saturdays I suppose), especially with homework. (Jay's mum has said in the local papers that he got good GCSEs - Nottingham Post and Newark Advertiser.)

Charlotte Hamilton School of Dance is a local dance school and 10 years ago offered weekly classes in ballet, tap, cheer leading, etc. Still going strong and has a good reputation locally. Understand Jay went there aged 13 to 16 for weekly classes but that's only what I've read.

Understand Jay went to MADD. It's well respected and does a 3 year Musical Theatre Diploma - covers singing, dancing, acting and professional studies. You have to audition to get in, but it's a regional college in Nottingham. (It's still very good )