Claudia: James let me come to you first because you know, it's been the day of days, I've never known a day like it in Strictly history. You've gotta feel for Kristina there who's sad, and for John... ooh... what are your thoughts?

James: I feel for Kristina tremendously because I think she's done such an amazing, amazing job with John, and the suited each other brilliantly, they complemented each other, and to be honest with you it might sound like I'm contradicting myself, although I did say to the public on Saturday please vote for the best dancing, in my opinion this is the most selfish thing I've ever seen anyone do on Strictly, and I don't think really he's thought it through properly.

Claudia: No, you can't.. sorry, I'm not speaking!.. er, really?

James: Yes, I do.

Claudia: No, hold on, surely, I'm just giving his point of view, isn't it selfless to, to let the dancing...

James: Well I personally think he's trying to make the whole SCD series 6 be all about him and he's succeeded. We're here today because of him, the news, everything, [Anton & Kate begin to take fright] and I don't know I just think that he hasn't thought it through properly.
[..Kate holds forth in general terms for over a minute..]
James: But the problem is now he's going to come across as a hero, that he's.. which is what he wants and..

Kate: He's allowed to be a hero. He's very very entertaining...

James: He was, and that's why the public have kept him in

Kate: ...people like you state he was only there because he was popular, he wasn't there because he was popular, everybody's on Stricly is popular, they're all celebrities you know people like Heather Small they buy their records in the millions, people watch Andrew Castle on GMTV, people love everyone on that show. People just simply like watching John Sergeant dance and it might not have been technically brilliant but they love watching him dance.

James: And that's why they were voting for him. So do you think it was right, what he's done?
[...]
Claudia: Can I go to Anton.. rarely has he been this quiet. Anton, you stick up for the Sergeant/Rihanoff camp if you can. Do you understand that this year there's even more pressure on him than there was on you and Kate and you know he's gone, you know what, it is just gonna get nasty, I'm off...

Anton: Er, no... I don't think there was more pressure on John. During SCD series 1 there was a young man, Chris Parker, who danced. Terribly. And made the final. I couldn't care less after that 'cos I didn't make the final, I danced with Lesley Garrett who danced marvellously. That's the show. If John gets in the final and wins, great, why shouldn't he. He's doing exactly what he's supposed to do which is turn up on a Saturday night, and dance.

Claudia: That was a brilliant answer... [now to James] What I was interested in was you went exactly, that's what the show is about, popular people, everyone likes a tryer, and he was in the training rooms and he did occasionally read a paper, he actually was up there in the top three but you also said you called out for people just to vote for the dancing, so you've got to decide..

James: Of course. It sounds like I was contradicting myself at the same time I said to the people on Saturday night please vote for the dancing because at the end of the day I am a competitor and I want to see the best dancer win but to be eliminated in the right way, the way Kate was last year!

Claudia: But at the same time, he has stepped aside, gracefully... maybe, I'm just throwing at him..

James: But someone's still going to be eliminated, this week, someone's still going out this week, irrelevant of he steps down or not [sic] there's only gonna be two couples in the final now, irrelevant if he dance or not [sic] so at the end of the day him actually doing that hasn't made any difference to the competition.

Claudia: Oh my gosh, how can you possibly say that, you've all spent 9 weeks saying he's not dancing properly..
.
Anton: I haven't said that...

James: At the end of the day, that's what makes strictly so great, having people like Kate last year who I think done an amazing job...

Anton: You couldn't have been more patronising if you tried...[Claudia laughs]

James:... if that's what people want to see, then great. At the end of the day it is a public show and if people keep voting him back in same as me and Cherie, we left last week I thought she was an amazing dancer but Iit was our time. The public put us in the bottom two, in the danceoff we were the worst, in the danceoff we left, I can live with that. Someone actually pulling out of the competition, because, of...
[..all talk at once..]
Kate: It is quite hard if you're in John Sergeant's position...

Claudia: Okay no more speaking! But I loved everything you all said.. what did you want to say?
[...]
Kate: Beautifully handled Claudia! I was going to say, it is quite hard if you're in John Sergeant's position because he would have loved you and he would have loved [?] but when you said vote for the dancing, he would have been backstage thinking [covers eyes] "Oh" ... that is a horrible sinking feeling

James: But what about Kristina and what about the public that have been supporting with him, did he think about those things too?

Claudia: Thankyou James, Kate and Anton!

You people are AMAZING.

Thank you. I hope every one reads it. xx

well done..........James doesn't come out very well does he..lol

I'd love for John to take on James in a debate! People thought he completely flattened Craig last week! I think he'll bury James!

And I still come to the same conclusion. James came across as very bitter. What changed?

I'd pay good money to see that.

James can't even hold his own without any opposition - god help him if he got a seasoned journalist of John's calibre.

Oh dear. That hasn't done James any favours at all.

His ego appears rather battered.

Thanks for putting this up - I was another one caught out by the early start of ITT - still waiting for it to be up on iPlayer!!

James does come across very bitter in this... He's not done himself a lot of favours by doing this, might have been more sensible to keep out of it - he had already had his say earlier in the week after all.

i think James is saying what he feels, and quite possibly what other pro's are thinking too.

Now instead of a final including three great dancers, there will be two and John was arrogant in the way he stepped down, had i voted for him i would feel let down massively right now.

His delivery made it sound even worse, hard to believe but true.

So who made it into the "John Sergeant" show? It is them James should be taking out his anger on :yawn:

James: We're here today because of him.

I doubt anyone held a gun to James' head forcing him to attend ITT. He was more than happy to be there and speak his mind - again.

I think James is absolutely right and commend him for his honesty. He's only getting bashed for his opinion because he's James.

I was being polite I responded because its not the way James comes across, that I meant in my first post.
it is a transcript of what he has said its black and white, and nobody can add extra to what he has said..

I personally think he came across wrong and didn't think it out right.

But I am sorry that J and K have gone

Do you think (quite possibly), James is spokesman for the following 6 pro dancers:

Anton ?
Brian ?
Darren ?
Lilia ?
Brendan ?
Ola his wife ?

TY for transcript. I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing!

On News 24, they played that clip to Chris Parker (who I believ was in a smiliar position?)

Anyway, he was horrified and accused James of trying to make the show about himself , not John!

Anton- No based on the interview
Brian- Declared his support for John's decision (rooted in support for partner Kristina)
Darren- Don't know.
Lilia- Don't know, but she likes him [John] a lot.
Brendan- Since when has he had anything selfless to say on anything?
Ola his wife- James said on Monday she wanted him [John] to go all the way to the final

Anton - possibly
Brian - no
Darren - no
Lilia - no
Brendan - no
Ola his wife - no

more likely
Karen
Erin
Camilla

Thats a good point by Chris. It does seem to be a lot about James' ego and it not getting the share of attention he wanted for it.

Never been a Chris Parker fan, but he may have just converted me.

Totally agree with you, if Matthew Cutler or Ian Waite had said the same there would be far less outcry.

But if John hadn't stepped down there wouldn't have been a final including three great dancers, there would have been a final involving two great dancers and John.

So before two great dancers, after two great dancers...nothing has changed.

And since when has he needed anyone to speak for him