To be honest, all I really wanted were Jay and Helen in the final and the rest could shift for themselves By that time Anita, as much as I like her, and the whole never danced before heavy handed storylining was making my teeth itch and Gleb not seeming to sort out her feet in favour of showiness was getting frustrating. To me, by that time Anita/Katie/Kellie/Georgia were all pretty much of a muchness with pro's and cons for each.

Helen and Georgia's routines weren't comparable in that Helen's was technically more difficult and complex being very involved with the backing dancers (which she more than held her own with, her musical theatre background shone). If Helen had simply had a teapot wobbling round her she might have had less wobbles herself first time round! Costuming and props are all part of the show but I'm looking for more than that in a dance. Georgia looked lovely in her Belle dress though My 6 year old wanted to do Helen's dance in Georgia's dress!

The judges made a decent fist of trying to explain why they were sending Helen home even though she corrected all her mistakes in the dance off. Helen was beautifully gracious about it (even if that wasn't fully returned) and went out on a real high. She's very private about her personal life but having gone through her recent divorce before Strictly it was wonderful to see her enjoying herself and gaining so much from the experience.

As I said, I'd been resigned all week to Helen leaving. The Paso was never going to be her dance anyway and she was unlucky enough to come up against it in a theme week that did her and it no favours (having said that, I can remember more of it than Georgia's dance, if you say it was a foxtrot, I'll believe you - all I can really remember is a dodgem car teapot (sorry Delta ) and a rather shamefaced candlestick). Katie and Anita were riding the waves of their storylines, Jay was into untouchable territory and Kellie had the bottom 2 bounce on a dance/themeing that suited her down to the ground. It was always going to go the way it went. Don't mean I 'ave to like it though

Well I am amazed that you say Helen had a Musical Theatre background because it certainly didn't show in that paso based on Les Miserables - it is still there on the BBC web site, perhaps you should take another look with completely unbiased eyes.
She gives no performance at all, makes obvious mistakes and looks very lost at one point.
I would be interested to know which West End Musical she has appeared in - perhaps you can tell us.

Helen is the most beautiful woman, perhaps a little reserved to become a great hit with the voting public, but her ballroom dancing was very good - however I am afraid her latin was not so good at all.
Perhaps she is too much of an English Rose.

Having watched lots of videos of the Strictly Tour shot in lots of different venues it is very plain to see that Helen and Anita are nothing like as good as Georgia in the group dances - as Georgia and Helen stand next to each other in the opening number it is very easy to spot.
Whatever you may think it is quite obvious that Giovanni really taught Georgia to dance properly and well - although she had a natural talent which helped.
By the end of Strictly she could also really sell a number - something Helen noticeably failed to do in her paso/Les Miserables routine which was an absolute gift for anyone with a Musical Theatre background.

I do wonder reading your comments over the last couple of days if your dislike of Georgia and Giovanni stems from them being saved by four judges over Helen - if so I really think it is time for you to let it go and move on
Georgia's FT had one tiny fault (a tiny flaw on a diamond to quote Bruno) which she corrected in the Dance off - otherwise it was perfection.

Ha ha nothing to let go I didn't mind Georgia and Giovanni through their Strictly run right through to the end, they were one of my 6 year old favourites and although I generally found their dances unmemorable I was fairly ambivalent about them. It's all the tabloid antics since that have changed my mind. Still continuing today I see, Giovanni and his teenage antics hey

Helen studied musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her first role after graduation was in The Woman In White. I'm not sure what other stage roles she's had though she's about to take to the stage again in After Miss Julie touring before a planned West End run I believe.

I've been watching some of Helen's dances back today, along with this from Pixie and Trent as the Beauty and the Beast theme made me think of it. One of my favourites of theirs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBJG5bjLOcM

I read rather more complimentary reviews of Helen on the tour, but people see and wish to see different things.

Spot on. Helen was, IMO, utterly charming. She's in South Africa at the moment - some photos of rhinos on her Instagram account. I'm not sure who she is with because, as you say, she's quite private.

Well good for her but perhaps if she falls in love again after getting over her divorce she may want to share photographs of the man in question !
It happens ... and although she is now in her 30s she probably will turn to social media.
Meanwhile a few rhinos is a good way to go.

I don't understand this post?

I think she's actually in South Africa to film for Call the Midwife. I don't know that from an interview with Helen but I read this article in the Guardian last month and it says the episode is due to be filmed in April.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...e-south-africa

Trixie goes to SA! Helen's obviously enjoying her downtime too, fabulous photographs I love elephants That rhino is huge I would dearly love to visit Cape Town one day.

Ahhh, mystery solved. Thanks Ochre. I watched the Call The Midwife Christmas special (I'd never watched it before) because I liked Helen so much in the show. I don't think I'd even heard of her before last September.

Particularly of him doing pressups on the beach, got to get that one for the album

I hope Helen does meet someone else but that's her business. From what I gathered on her time on Strictly, she does not do "disposable relationships" so I would suspect she is taking her time and not dashing into another relationship.

I wonder how CTM is working a South African storyline into the show?! I wish I had started watching it earlier, I would love to have seen Miranda Hart in it.

I love Call the Midwife I wonder if any of Helen's castmates will do Strictly, Laura Main was good on CIN Strictly last year and has said she'd like to do the main show.

Absolutely. Helen seems to be having another busy year career wise with some new adventures! Her Instagram posts have made me smile, her self effacing and at times sarcastic sense of humour come through as they did on Strictly Some stunning photographs.

The one quote from the CTM writer in the article doesn't give much away, I'll be fascinated to watch next year. Miranda was brilliant in the show, I miss Chummy. She's hilarious when she comes on ITT!

Speaking of Helen ... I watched her rumba again and leaving aside the dance content, which is a criticism of Aljaz to some extent, she was brilliant. Wonderful leg work and very expressive dancer. I didn't appreciate her when she was on the show but I suspect she is one whose dances I will watch time and again on YT. She was indeed a gracious person and elegant in loss.

She was/is a beautiful dancer. I was really sad when she left. I with she had made the final but hey ho. As has been said, she was very gracious about. As well as missing her dancing, I missed her self deprecating sense of humour.

I loved Helen, I loved all her hot mess dances - salsa, paso, charleston.

That Les Mis paso was a great interpretation of the musical in a ballroom dance, without it being a direct copy of the show's choreography (apart from the barricade and the flag!).

I really hope Helen has a lot of success in the future.

I thought so too and I didn't agree with the judges' decision in the DO but hey, that's life (or at least that's Strictly). I felt very sorry for Helen when that story about her being stand offish was bandied about. She very honestly said she was upset and that she was having fun and making friends. I think the "stand offish" criticisms came from people who don't really understand subtly and think everything has to be in your face as it were.

Her leg work was fantastic. Their beautiful Viennese Waltz has been added to my list of all-time favourite Strictly dances but there are a few I watch back including their Rumba, Tango, Quickstep and I love her portrayal of Marilyn in their Foxtrot. She did struggle more with the Latin but I thought she did well with some of the Samba technique, as well as the whole Mummy theme being brilliantly quirky.

I feel like that about Pixie, it's only after her series watching her dances I truly appreciate how brilliant a dancer she is.


Hot mess dances Love that description, can imagine Helen describing some of them as that herself! I really do think their Paso was underrated, I wish the dance off version was the one on youtube as she corrected the mistakes she made first time round.


I was just about to comment on Helen's subtlety above both as regards her personality and in her acting and dancing. I read a lot of comments about her 'over the top' facial expressions (which wouldn't be out of place on the stage or in a larger arena) and many didn't seem to look beyond that to how understated and subtly expressive many of her performances were. She talked about feeling more comfortable 'in character' didn't she, and that each week she and Aljaz created rehearsal characters to help her get in to each dance and lose some of her inhibitions.

I think her salsa is one of her best dances because she brings so much personality along with great technique and wonderful lifts. I think her latin is under rated because she was more comfortable in the standard dances but her leg work, technique and commitment in the latin was evident. I think too that her pairing with Aljaz was a good one but I don't like his rumba choreography - hers or Abbey Clancey's.

I think Helen is one of the most beautiful women to grace SCD too.

Helen's Salsa leg splits And I love the lifts and side by side section towards the end, the Salsa is one dance in particular I remember her discussing creating a character for. She is stunningly beautiful.

The most annoying thing about their Rumba for me is Aljaz's shirt wafting about and I find myself wishing he'd button it up . . . is there something wrong with me I never felt like that about Gleb mind

Ha ha, the wafting shirt was annoying. Best just not to wear a shirt Alijaz

Helen had a depth to her which made her dancing so memorable.

My favourite bit at 1:18 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTwyu_715jk that circular lift and the ending lift! Helen looks so delicate but she's very strong to achieve this and the one at 1:18 was a little messy, but I like her all the more for that. I can't comment on Aljaz shirt wafting versus Gleb's as I'm totally biased ...

Yes perhaps Helen should have improvised and just ripped the shirt off him

I would describe her as someone with many layers. She seemed to really want to understand each dance and get the feel of it and showed something different in each one.


Amazing lifts, she has mentioned her ballet training and that definitely shows with her strength and technique. Think I'll have to watch all Helen's dances back again now!

Gleb would definitely win a shirt waft-a-thon against Aljaz . . . that's not really a thing except in my mind is it

There - fixed it for you!