Laura is my favourite, but I do tend to always like an underdog. I think her chances of winning are very slim though - the competition is very, very strong this year, and she's not very well known. I think she has a fantastic personality but people seem to be struggling to connect with her. Also, I think pairing her with Giovanni really affected her chances from the start.

Its hard to see a route to reaching the finals this year for anyone outside Danny, Louise, Ore and Claudia on dance ability and Greg and Ed on public popularity.

I hope Laura makes it at least to Blackpool, which is what she said she wanted to do. Now some of the more fevered tabloid headlines have gone away, she has a better chance of connecting with the public. I like to see a hard worker with a bit of spark in the competition and she strikes me as that.

I also prefer to see Giovanni teaching this year rather than having the producers push a showmance angle so aggressively. It might be good for the show 'storylines' (in the producer's eyes) but I find it a bit tedious and artificial.

Laura is my favourite and I would really love her to be there at the end. It does not matter how good technically someone is if they don't connect with the music/their partner I don't warm to them. E.g. daisy's rumba left me cold. For me they they have to tell a believable story and that is what Laura and Giovanni do. Laura has shown she can bring emotion to dance as she did in the walz so that bodes well for slow dances. In the fast dances Laura and Giovanni always look as if they are having fun. She is working hard to catch up with the already experienced dancers so I hope she can win over the voters.

I stuck a tenner on her. She seemed like a decent bet at the beginning stages. Her flopsiness and lack of stamina is proving a worry, however.

I'm still bitter over Anita Rani last year. 25:1 she was, and I reckon if she hadn't done that hot garbage mess of a salsa she could've won the bugger. Bloody Gleb, you had one job.

Ok - I have a couple of issues with stating that Greg or Ed might make the final on popularity - a)as a Greg fan I think the comparison to Ed is kinda of insulting as is the implication he can't make it on talent. We've seen nothing to indicate he can't.

b)Ed will not make the final - I think he may well be around until Brighton and put out someone who makes people like my mum and the judges try travesty but based on the level on this year's competition and the performance of previous bottom of the leader board regulars he will not be a finalist. You have to go all the way back to series one with eight contestants and an 'it's all for charity' focus to find the person the judges think is the worst contestant in the final. Widdy got scarily close but she got given the boot in the quarters.

Some fans seem to have loved the "romance" angle, but it's what really put me of the "Team GG" partnership last year. I am enjoying Giovanni's partnership with Laura so much more, even though I realise they are unlikely to get as far in the competition as "GG" did.

No insult to Greg intended. Its more a case that Danny and particularly Ore seem to have pulled away strongly in dance ability as far as the male celebrities go.

I was really trying to say that Ed and Greg seem to be popular with the public. Edit: Agree that Ed is toast if he pops up in the Bottom 2.

Danny and Ore's public vote is not clear to me at the moment as their high scores have kept them safe.

I hated Carolines show dance.

The cell block tango dance she did wasn't much cop either - I'm a little annoyed that Helen got the boot given a paso to Les Mes that even Danny this year would have struggled to sell.

I would have given Gorka to Laura. I think she would have had a good chance for at least the final.

Gorka is too short for Laura. He's a couple of inches shorter than Gio, who is only borderline tall enough himself

I don't think Laura's pairing with Gio is the issue, I'm just not sure she has a stand out enough personality nor is a stand out enough dancer to progress to the latter stages, in such a strong year. I quite like her but I've not quite warmed to her in the same way I did to Flackers (who I loved) and that would be the same had she been with Gio, Pasha, Brendan or whoever.

I like Gio and am actually more inclined to support her because she's with him, than I would be otherwise (I might not have even noticed her!). I think she'd have done quite well in previous years but will get lost a bit in the crowd this year

Hard to say with Laura. I think she's good and her dances always excite me and make me want to keep watching but maybe that's cause I think she's hot? Shouldn't be relevent but probably is with me. She's more cautious than some of the others, less likely to throw herself into something but still gives everything a good go without looking desperate.

I don't think she can win, Danny and Ore are too good. She could have a moment where it suddenly clicks and she goes on a run to the final but tbh that could happen to almost any of them. I'd love to see her in the final tho.

She doesn't seem to have that much chemistry with Giovanni, maybe they have tried to play it down so the papers will leave them alone? They should focus on the dance and forget the rest but it can't be easy.

She's got the biggest appreciation thread of this year's contestants.
I don't know how she ended up in the dance off.

I thought Caroline was one of the least inspiring winners, right up there with Chris Hollins. She won because sour Len, aided by Darcey, eliminated the wonderful Pixie and because that year it was a weak field.

Not a chance.

I think Caroline was more well known when she signed up to Strictly and unless I'm wrong, she was never in a dance off.

Laura's disadvantage is that she doesn't have a "following" compared to the likes of Leslie Joseph who the majority of viewers will know from Birds Of A Feather, or Louise from Eternal who's married to a famous football player, or Greg the gold medal winner at the London Olympics etc...

So no, I don't think Laura will do a Caroline. If anything, Louise is more likely to "do a Caroline".

She was, Week 7

I don't think Laura can do a Caroline Flack (or Abbey Clancy, or Alesha Dixon, if we're talking female winners that found themselves bottom two before going on to win).

Laura seems like a lovely girl (based upon what I've seen of her over her I'm A Celeb career and now Strictly/ITT) but I just think she'll be overshadowed by better dancers at the end of the day as well as other more interesting couple storylines shine more too. She's a decent dancer, probably in the top 5 now that Will has gone, but I think she'd need to be more a Kara Tointon level to really capture the dancing aspect for the audience. Personality wise she seems fine to me, despite being aware she's getting some SM flack, but hell, don't most of the celebs get some degree of that anyway. The Gio and Laura partnership doesn't really spark anything for me and their dances are okay/very decent but not much more than that (imo).

I think I'd have pref Laura with the likes of Aljaz/another, and Daisy with Brendan (for height reasons, as she seems too level with Aljaz when wearing heels).

Caroline Flack was a decent dancer so that aspect was obv a part of her winning, but she also had lovely/cheesy Pasha... plus was herself very chirpy, so their combination worked better overall than Gio and Laura's personality combo (imo).

I think Laura still has a couple of weeks left at least, and if she ends up bottom two with say Lesley, Ed, or Anastasia then she'd prob stand a good chance of still going through).

Yes, Caroline was in a dance-off and while I think she may have been better known than Laura is, I don't think it was her name that got her the win.

I just don't buy the idea that people vote for celebs because they're in a show that they like, or in a band they once listened to. Everyone I have ever spoken to who supports/backs a couple do so out of what they've been impressed with on the show itself - sometimes its getting to like the celeb, or their partnership, or their journey, or their dancing - because its so good or because its entertaining, but its all to do with what has been revealed on the show rather than what the celebs day job has been.

I'm loving Lesley so far because of her hard work, the performances shes managing to pull out the bag despite her age, and her sheer joy at doing them. It has absolutely nothing to do with Birds of a Feather. And I may end up backing Louise if she wows me with some great dances, but being in a girl band 20 years ago, or being married to a footballer is irrelevant.

I backed Caroline as I thoroughly enjoyed her dances - off the top of my head loved her Cha cha, Charleston, Rumba, Showdance and Jive. Warmed to her on the dancefloor and loved her partnership with Pasha. And there were no other couples that year that stood out as much for me. Hated the Xfactor and didn't watch it! I just haven't warmed to Laura and her dancing in the way I did with Caroline - theres not been anything standout with her personality or dancing to make me back her as my favourite. But she is a good enough dancer to go a lot further - just not sure if shes standout enough to overshadow some of the others as its such a strong year, but its not impossible. We'll need to see what she comes up with.

I see what you did there. He's on mark 4 so he'll come up a bit brown.

I actually like Laura/Giovanni partnership. Laura shows she can sell the the fast dances as well as put emotion into the romantic ones. I really enjoyed their waltz. It was so smooth and i loved the. chemistry.. I hope she can win over the public in a year of experienced dancers and big personalities.

Sorry for cropping your post humpty. I agree with that. People may vote for the celebs because of their jobs at the start of the series only; "I like her as a presenter", or "She was funny in that sitcom" may be a cause for vote in the beginning but at later stages it's like you said, there are lots of factors involved in the reason for voting, dance alone being just one of them.

Pixie was the best dancer ever in the history of Strictly.

I saw that in Laura at the start but as the weeks go on I'm starting to feel it less and less. Caroline progressed through the competition as I'm sure Laura can too. But for me Caroline was noticeably better than Laura even at this early point. I think Laura could go one way or the other, I like her and I think she's not that bad a dancer. But I'm not convinced she has the ability to win the show anymore. I think at best she could make the final but I'm not expecting she will if I'm honest. Maybe out sometime around about Blackpool or maybe just before? Simply because it's such a strong year

I'm not keen on Giovanni and had no idea who she was at the start of the show. I like her dancing but only 'like'. So far she has done nothing to make me use any of my 3 votes on her. She pretty and pleasant but nothing more.

I really liked Pixie. You're right Caroline was so uninspiring.