Esther Rantzen has written a piece for today's Daily Mail that you might like to take a look at.

It's a wee bit sickly in places, but a good insight - and there's a very interesting Anton comment.

I have no idea how to post the link - but maybe someone else who's cleverer could please do it for me.

I forgot to tell you how to get there - just go to www.dailymail.co.uk, then click on tv and showbiz and you'll find it.

Thanks Libby. Just read it and thought it was very interesting. The programme really is such good fun and is so gorgeous (as all us forum addicts know). I liked Esther's observations about voting patterns and the transformational power of dance. I turn into a vicarious swan every week just watching it. Magical. And Anton's comment about the effect of mixing dancing with a sexual relationship has the mind racing.

Although Darren B and Lilia seem to manage ok

And so did Camilla and Brendan once.

I suppose you have to be able to compartmentalise to make it work - you have to be able to put your personal relationship to one side and really work on the dancing. If you've fallen out because he hasn't put his dirty underwear in the laundry basket you need to forget about it when you go training.

True, libby. Also think that when couples have a very strong sexual attraction but do not consumate (perhaps because they are otherwise attached, perhaps because they normally bat for the other side) then you can get the most amazingly passionate fireworks in the dance. All that anticipation and longing gets released in the dance because there is no where else for it to go and it can make the whole thing tremendously powerful.

The article was spot on IMHO. Not just a cynical old journo sticking the knife in, though Esther should know just how fabulous it is, I do suspect that SCD will become the butt of easy jokes in the near future, so it was nice to get an independent (ish) positve spin in before the hounds of h**l (otherwise known as the Fourth Estate) get their grubby little mocking mitts on SCD too much...

BTW I recently saw Esther in the audience of one of those old Audience with ..... shows, must be nearly 20 years old and she looks better NOW than she ever did then, I reckon the 'tres bon' Mr Du Beke has had one heck of a lot to do with an older woman blossoming in her 'maturity'

I think the whole SCD experience did her a lot of good - and Anton will have been mainly responsible for it. He has quite a talent for nurturing self image which is being tested to the limit at the moment.

I don't think Patsy or Esther or probably Lesley could have had a better partner for them personally.

Nice article, thanks for spotting it, enjoyed it very much

I have to do a trawl of as many media outlets as I can find first thing if I have time 'cos I don't want to miss any Anton related news

A good article, but she took a Lesley Garrett tack on poor Bill.

I'm sure it won't worry him, but I'm very tired of these past contestants (women) who feel the need to knock, when they were not very fantastic themselves. What next, Gloria kicking Bill?! Jaye?! Siobhan for goodness sake?!

libby3107, thank you for highlighting the article. I enjoyed reading it and learning about Esther's insights.

i think most of that's down to her appearance on 'would like to meet' or whatever it was called

she was great on that and really let all her guards down

What does that mean?

Nat
xxx

Lesley Garrett on ITT 2 weeks ago was very derogatory (unnecessarily) on him and as she wasn't that great on the show from the footage I've seen I thought it was very rude. Past contestants shouldn't comment on this years crop unless they stay positive, it's not their place to do it. Besides, it's simple good manners. Jill, when I've seen her interviewed has been very tactful. It's hard enough for the poor sods dancing now and coping with the judges, they don't need any more!!

I'd like to point out to Esther that I and many, many others voted for Bill on his dancing, not because we felt sorry for him. So there.

I don't recall what she said so I cannot defend her on that but I can defend how she was on SCD1 - she was fantastic and often woefully undermarked - her and Anton did the most sublime Foxtrot, and the same week natasha and Brendan did the rumba and got lambasted by the judges for not putting a single basic step in the routine, yet they got higher scores!

Lesley was fab, and had the BBC realise there should be 3 in the final they would have been there! They were fab, and as u have only seen footage, I can only assume u did not see Series 1 and so cannot know them overall!

*rant over, back to calm Nat*

Nat
xxx

She was *fab* except for muttering one two backstep very obviously on the jive

Not learned the steps and that was on the semi final!!

Think she possibly had other things on her mind to occupy instead of dance practice!!!

Nat
xxx

Umm, if you mean what I think you mean, but in that case no wonder Patsy's been a disappointment in the past fortnight.

And Esther!!!!! Ick!! Don't get an image!!!! ick!!!

Nat
xxx

Oh no, don't go there, as our transatlantic cousins say

Here's a direct link to the article ....

Glad she mentioned Lilia and gave her soem praise, that was very nice of her I hope she's right too, Lilia, get Darren to the final!
Along with us viewers of course

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It's good to hear someone in the press have something nice to say about Zoe. About time too.

Good article, witty and true!

Zoe wasn't really a tomboy. She posed for a lad's mag and was considered very good-looking/fit when she was at her peak career-wise.

She still is gorgeous of course.