I didnt see any comment that Helen was unfriendly ? Yes I saw quiet , which is a far cry from unfriendly .
From what I see Helen cheers everyone on , claps for them and gives them all a warm hug when leaving . So thats how I judge her and she seems lovely to me

Lumping Anita in with Jeremy and Jamelia is disgraceful!

Her Tango was the best this series, so far.

No. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, but I was referring to comments by other people as well as the one quoted in this thread. I'm sorry but I can't now remember the details - who made the comments or where or when, but I read them in this forum. I also can't be precisely sure of the words used but they were along the lines of quiet, friendly and/or aloof

Absolutely. I find it a real shame that people are criticising Helen. She is always very grateful when receiving praise from the judges or from Zoe Ball on ITT. This does not surprise me, since I can see similarities between herself and the character of Trixie in Call The Midwife.

Here's the thing - I'm sure Helen is a perfectly lovely person, and the people who really know her probably think she's friendly, approachable etc. But, and it's a big but, Helen struggles to put that across on screen, because I suspect she is a naturally very reserved person, and it always looks like she's working on being funny, outgoing etc, rather than it being completely natural.

It's monumentally unfair for me to compare her to Ainsley, Kellie or Anita (and others), but they're just examples of people who's niceness comes across very readily on screen. They have bigger personalities, more 'charisma' I guess, and easier for people to connect with them.

so Craig's comments are indeed unfair - they may be true or false, who knows - but I suspect the damage is already done by Helen herself. She just doesn't quite have the dynamic personality that will carry a celeb to the final, as I don't think she's persuading anyone to vote for anything other than her dance ability (I know, I know, the irony!!!). But we all know that dance ability only gets celebs so far in this competition, the other critical part is the celeb themselves and how they present themselves.

I think it's interesting that exactly the same things were said repeatedly on the actual show last year about Jake - quiet, serious, was "in the zone" before each show, never chatting to anyone - and yet this was never interpreted as a personal attack on him, or conversely as a negative to be used against him. Maybe it's a gender thing...

Maybe its because Jake sort of 'owned it' - he never really tried to appear chatty and outgoing and admitted he liked to be 'in the zone' backstage and never seemed that bothered by any of it. As dizzie said above, Helen seems to be working at appearing outgoing etc. and it doesn't look entirely natural, but the fact that she is trying and seems worried what people think of her probably makes it seem more of an attack (along with her seeming fragility). I don't know if a man who seemed as emotionally fragile would be treated in the same way though.

E.T.A. Just realised I said 'seem' way too many times in that post but I can't be bothered to edit it

BIB: I think she comes across as a lovely person with a very sharp, dry and slightly self-deprecating sense of humour and I'm enjoying her relationship with Aljaz. I've voted for her every week apart from the week she topped the leader board (as I assumed she'd be safe then) regardless, up to a point, of how I rated her dance.

So here's one person voting for her as much on personality / relationship with her pro as on dance ability, and I doubt I'm unique.

Totally agree, I think her subtlety is too much for some

I agree , Helen is just not gushy and OTT ( looking at you Kellie !) like some . She is her own person and I like her

Me too and I hope she is in the final (with Jay and Georgia).

blimey, are we reaching the stage where people who are quiet or reserved are perceived to be deficient in some way. In my experience of life they're the more interesting people.

I think part of the difference is I don't think Jake ever had any negative stories in the papers about him being the 'bitchiest ever contestant' or whatever it was. I think it's easy to feel Craig's comments are reinforcing that, which make them seem meaner, though I'd guess the press office person who probably actually wrote them did so weeks ago and might not have intended any link.

I like Helen. I also have an impression of her, rightly or wrongly, as quite vulnerable, so I think that means I feel more defensive when I see her criticised than I would with some others.

I wish Craig would at least try to maintain the fiction he's an impartial judge. But I think that every year. I think I feel milder towards him this year because Bruno's being meaner than him, and because he isn't on ITT annoying me to bits every Monday.

it's quite a trick to be the bitchiest contestant ever whilst not talking to anyone unless the only person she's talking to is that nice man from the Sun who's hanging about backstage with a bag of sweets, who's managed to eke out all her secret feelings about everyone else.