Strictly Official Grammar and Pronunciation Guide

Disclaimer: “official” doesn’t mean it’s truthful or faithful, just the first thing I found on the interweb and copied and pasted here.
(I am not doing their surnames as the first names are trouble enough with people misspelling a simple “Brendan” even after 14 series)

Brendan Cole – Not Brendon, not Brandon, not Brenden, not Brethren. Just plain Brendan.
Brenda: acceptable

Aljaz Skorjanec - Two different pronunciations:
https://www.howtopronounce.com/aljaz/ : AHliass
http://forvo.com/word/aljaz/ : AliASz
I particularly call him Nice Ass, but maybe that is just me.

Anton Du Beke – Correct pronunciation is Tony Beke

Pasha Kovalev – Emphasis on first A: Paaaaasha. Although the lady in the video sounds pretty much like she’s dying, or constipated, or something. Sounds a bit like “paaaasta”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu5XL31xlTE

Gorka Marquez – Quickest way? Rhymes with Corker, although the R is the “hard” R in Spanish, not R like “Romeo”
http://forvo.com/word/gorka/

Giovanni Pernice – Not Javannah, not Giovanna. Correct is “johVAANnee”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD70hd08kQs
Joe Varney: acceptable

Katya Virsh… Sorry, wishful thinking. Katya Jones, nothing to see here.

Oksana Platero (nee Dmytrenko) – praise the Lord I’m not doing the surnames because both her single and her married one are alien to English.
“OkSSAna”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z4wSA8TB3I

Oti Mabuse – Her full name is actually Otlile but it has been shortened to “Oti” because she thought nobody would be able to pronounce it right. I couldn’t find any pronunciation link for Oti, so take it from herself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpZdFLUAkmE

I like this thread a lot! Humorous and actually very informative ... doesn't surprise me given the OP!

I was going to add my little bit to the pronunciation dictionary, but wasn't quite sure how high the demand would for a guide to pronouncing Kevin Clifton.

Tee Tee Eff?

Claudia:
Pronounced klaw-dee-a when it's a presenter.
Pronounced klow-dee-a when it's a contestant.

"Grims-beh"??

Ore - Or-eh
not Ore (as in iron), Oreee etc

Robert - Judge (or "Jooodge" if you are you know who...)

Ed Balls - Ed Balls

Aww, thanks Brian!

I left the obvious ones out but given the fact that people still misspell "Brendan" after 14 series maybe I should have included them.



Oh, are we doing presenters, judges and celebs as well? Great!
English pronunciation for Claudia: klAWdeeuh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOVHCd2mTj8

In Italian: Claaahudea (or summat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAl5npkmSuk

Greg Rutherford = Ginger Nuts, because he is ginger and delicious, ahem.

Claudia F= "cloudier, with a hint of rain"

Fragapane: a hard G, not Fradguh-pane

Anastacia= Ana-stayzhuh, not Ana-stayzier, Ana-stacier or whatever Tess does to it.

Feeling quite smug now as I seem to have been doing OK with this.

Hope you've sent it to Tess. I never stopped being irritated by the Oh-la thing. Although, given the latter hasn't come across very well lately, perhaps it was a deliberate wind-up??

I know that one too but her name has always read as 'Frangapane' in my head - can't seem to retrain my brain .

Don't her "gymlastics" mates call her Fran?

If it turned out that Tess was actually a huge WUM I could almost -almost- forgive her for everything over the last 12 years

Poor, poor Tess. I hadn't thought of her.

With "Gorka Marquez", "Oksana Platero", "Melvin Odoom", "Ore Oduba", "Claudia Fragapane", and "Anastacia" she'll have her work cut out.

You forgot

Rinder not Reinder or Raindner

Apparently, it rhymes with Tinder, not with Grindr

Just saying.

This thread is so pedantic and condescending....................


.........I love it

Bwahahahaha, it is not, Nina!

Hope you don't mind a newbie chipping in, but I always thought 'Ed Balls' was pronounced 'First Out'.

I have a feeling it could be 'John Sargent'.

I think they call her Fraggs.

I knew it was something like that. Yes, I think you're right, I'll be interested to see how she does.

She's certainly got "all the moves."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7RraqmPlaA

I do hope not. The thought of Ed Balls stomping across the floor doing the Teddy Bear Paso makes me want to throw up.

Give her, her due, Kristina did her best with the numpty.

Oh, totally agree. That pairing had a real charm. Unfortunately, I cannot see any charm at all in Ed Balls. The very name brings to mind a smirking, slightly sweaty, Dad dancer. He may well give Brenda a run for his money with his 80's soft rock classics.

I'd say Kristina is far more of a numpty than John Sargeant.