Thanks for the tip Sandy. Might try that next week on our annual "big trip down soooouth". Love Dim Sum X

Trying to catch up. Miss a day or two and you miss so much on here.
So far I have bats faces, crucifixes, smoking (they def need to nip that one in the bud) and Brownlee bros

After a couple of minutes of trying (and failing) to eat with them, that's exactly the sort of antics I would get up to with chopsticks! Love all the pics we're getting of them, they seem to be having great fun!





Georgia has such a lovely smile!


Saying that, I'm useless in photo booths, takes me half an hour to get the damn chair sorted let alone take the pictures!



I think Louise Minchin would be a great partner for Gio, she seems good fun - perhaps next year!

Evening everyone

Just got in from a night out at a very enjoyable concert of Richard Rogers songs at Cadogan Hall in London. Actually I wasn't a paying customer, I work there once a week as a volunteer usher. Anyway, the concert featured numbers from lots of different musicals and one of the singers was Georgia's friend Ruthie Henshall, who you may remember from the behind the scenes VT during GG's charleston week and who was very good. Another singer was Gary Wilmott who will be starring with Jay McGuinness in Big the Musical. I wonder if that will ever get a West End run?

Glad you liked my little effort at a spoof of a Daily Mail article. I've obviously been reading the DM Sidebar of Shame too much! It just makes me so cross that journalists can get away with and indeed get paid for writing similar crap.

Thanks for posting that video Daisy - I think it blows anyone's criticisms of Gio as a dancer right out of the water - but enough of that, don't want to get us into trouble! Anyway it brought back great memories. I took a small video of the samba as well but never worked out how to load it and it was rather spoiled by someone walking in front of me. Like you say Daisy, those hips - well they certainly got my ovaries fluttering again!

Don't think Gio will get Naga as a partner. It would not be fair to send him to Manchester again! Hard to imagine who will get her though since the pros are all either married or in long term relationships and won't I would imagine be particularly keen on travelling up there.

Is Ore based in Manchester too ?
If so maybe one of the couples like Kevin and Karen could go and train with them up there !

BTW I am a big fan of Ruthie Henshall !
Sounds like a great concert.

That sounds like a great concert, with plenty of big names!

I wasn't even aware that Jay was doing a musical - if it's 'a hit' I see no reason why it couldn't get a West End run.


Ore isn't quite as regular on BBC Breakfast as Naga is so I'm wondering if he spends most of his time at the London newsroom rather than the Breakfast studios in Manchester... Not sure though...



Anastacia announced this morning - good partner for Gio??

Morning Sandy I don't know if Ore is based in Manchester full time. I looked him up on Wikipedia. He is a big fan of Manchester United so would get on well with Georgia should they meet. He has a Sports Science Degree from Loughbourough University so has similar university background to Joanne's previous boyfriend Laurence. He has a cat called Debbie Magee! Alicia😀

I think so Brian! I think she'd be a great partner for anyone *grabs hairbrush and sings I'm Outta Luuuuurrve*

Oooh I do like that song ... and hadn't actually realized it was her that sang it!

As you said yesterday, she seems good fun and I can imagine her and Gio would get on really well!

Georgia has congratulated her - https://twitter.com/georgiafoote/sta...53985071190016

Aw and Georgia has tweeted Strictly asking if she can take part again!

https://twitter.com/georgiafoote/sta...54564581392384

She's asked nicely ... now LET HER DO IT AGAIN!!!!!

Both of my parents smoked so my brother and I followed suit it was just done in those days.I stopped in 1995 so have been stopped for over 20 years and it was the hardest thing I have ever done but the best ,think I would have been dead now if I hadn't I had so many health problems,can't stand whenm now and hate it when I get a whiff of them inside or outside absolutely hate smoking now

I know Gio dosn't drink and I meant they were p,ssed off with paps

Probably just taking the p*ss in that periscope when he said he didn't drink

Cin Cin!

I think I am showing my age - I really have no idea who Anastacia is !

I have heard the name but I couldn't pick her out in an identity parade,
I have googled her and now know she is American, 47 and 5ft 2ins.

Apart from Daisy it does seem like most of the female celebs are on the short side.

I suspect he drinks like a normal person as most Europeans do - i.e. not binge drinking like young British people do on a night out !

Myself included when I was a student and in my 20s as I have to admit

Me too, and into some of my thirties... very much agree about the European drinking thing, it's usually with food too, unlike here (not counting a kebab at 3am!)

The more I think about an Anastacia pairing, the better it gets. Only thing is they might put her with a shorter pro.

Flora the Dim Sums are great and the trolleys are wheeled round just like in Hong Kong, especially at lunch time.

It is best to go for Saturday or Sunday late lunch !

Delicious! If you return to Hong Kong or if you visit sometime - Maxims Palace City Hall is best here. Both New World and HK's Maxims City Hall are Trollied!!! Aliciax

It's hard to predict this years pairings, isn't it? I could be wrong but isn't it only Daisy Lowe who's too tall or Gio - so really he could be paired with anyone so far..

I like Anastacia so would be happy with that pairing. Although I don't know much about her, Louise seems nice enough. She hasn't been announced yet but people are suggesting Leslie from BoaF who I LOVE (although maybe slightly too old to be a real contender.) I know Laura from I'm a celeb and she seems lovely - her and Georgia seem to be friends too.

I think Anastacia would be my first choice with Louise in second. Personally, I think him and Laura would be great and probably would go far but I don't think I could stand the rags trying to stir the Strictly curse stuff.

I agree with your ordering Star. I've seen very little of Anastacia but from little clips of her on Strictly before she just seems to be great fun and would be an excellent match for Gio's equally fun personality! Louise would also be good and perhaps she might get a bit further in the competition than Anastacia, but you never can tell. Naga is another option, but for some reason I just can't picture them together.

I don't know who she is, Brian so couldn't possibly comment. I don't 'know' Louise but I knew who she was if you get me. I literally had no clue who Naga was until Strictly announced her with photos.
Sure Louise was in the audience for Strictly last year..

It's hard to know how far people will get because the voting public can be so difficult to predict. Also you see people for who they really are on Strictly so someone who you 'like' can quickly change your mind if they aren't what you thought. Having a big fanbase to start with helps too (I was always going to support Georgia because I'm a huge Corrie fan.) Then of course the actual dancing ability.

I've seen Naga a reasonable amount on BBC Breakfast - she seems nice enough, I'm just not quite convinced that he would have quite as a good a partnership with her as well as he might with Anastacia or Louise - but yeah, that's just purely my perception and it really is a guessing game at the moment.

You're absolutely right about the importance of having a decent fan base to start with - and that's arguably more likely to apply to Anastacia than it would to Louise. So yes, it's a guessing game really!

I can't help but sing that song out loud whenever I hear her name


Yes pleaaaaseee let her do it again!!!!! 👍🙏

New voting thingy came up on my Twitter - https://strictlysupportgroup.wordpre...s-triathlon-2/

That would be hilarious if Debbie McGee (the woman not the cat) was a contestant too!

Yes Star Very tricky predictions this year and still some unknown celebrities to come. Also it is hard to ignore the fact that the decision on the final pairings is influenced by tv producers who want a good dance standard at the final stages and also some extra interest from the personalities of dancers and celebrities. However huge fan bases will always help especially in the final stage when the judges influence are reduced. Sometimes the producers go for 'interest' for example - I wonder if Anastasia dancing with Mr Neil Jones would be something to see! So many things to factor in. It will be exciting to see the reveal. Like Daisy though my fingers though!


Wouldn't that be wonderful Claire Louise


Ok Star will give this one a try too! We will see!🤔Aliciax