BBC Strictly Come Dancing star says 'we were losing him' as she says couples risk being 'penalised'

A former Strictly Come Dancing star has claimed we were 'losing' JB Gill as she hailed his latest performance in the ballroom.

The JLS star had a tricky couple of weeks in the BBC One dance contest as he had to swap professional dance partners.

There was gutting news last week as it was confirmed that JB's dance partner Amy Dowden wouldn't be able to continue competing in the BBC One dance contest.

The Welsh dancer made a triumphant return to the ballroom back in September after being forced to miss out on competing in the 2023 series due to undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

She was paired with JB for the 2024 series and they were going from strength to strength. After missing a week of rehearsals and a live show, it was confirmed that Amy wouldn't be able to return to the competition as she recovers from a foot injury and that JB would carry on the remainder of his time on the hit dance show with Lauren Oakley.

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And the latest live show on Saturday night (November 9) saw JB and Lauren finish joint topped the judges’ leader board for a second week in a row alongside Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec, with a samba that "stunned" the judges.

Now, Ola Jordan, who starred in the dance show as a pro dancer from 2006 to 2015 and won the Strictly Christmas special with JB in 2012, has hailed his comeback in the competition ahead if the annual Blackpool special.

Speaking on behalf of Mecca Bingo, the professional dancer said: "I am so impressed with him this week with his samba. There were still a few sticky moments for me, like bad posture in places where he was doing the samba, he lost his balance at the end. I danced with JB at the Christmas special in 2012, we did a jive and I remember how good he was then.

"I had a lot of hopes for him when I heard he's doing competitions and I'm finally seeing the JB that I saw, we were sort of losing him, but he's definitely a contender for me. He's one of them to watch out now, and I didn't say that few weeks ago."

Ola was also asked to discuss Chris McCausland being tied for sixth place on the leader board over the week following an epic couple's choice routine to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon. Asked what improvements the comedian needs to make to rise higher in the rankings, she said: "It depends on what dance he gets, he is limited. I could see he was going wrong in the couple’s choice; he was going wrong quite a few times.

"This is why I think he was too high on the leader board Shayne Ward didn't go wrong in his rumba, whereas Chris was going wrong, but obviously it's hard for him because he can't just match what Dianne is doing, like if they do side by side or similar steps, he can't just get back onto the right rhythm because he can't see. It is harder for him in that respect, and I appreciate what he does, but at the end of the day, it’s about who is better and I don't agree with him having the 33 points that week."

Ola added: "But I am a big fan of Chris. I want him to do well in a competition, but I don't want other people being penalised for their dances if they did a good job."