Strictly Come Dancing's Gorka Marquez 'insulted' as he jumps to co-star's defence


It looks as though there are tensions brewing on the dancefloor between Strictly Come Dancing pro Gorka Marquez and judge Craig Revel Horwood.

On Saturday night, Gorka and Dr Punam performed a Jive to 2 Be Loved by Lizzo, although their routine didn’t impress the judges, who highlighted a few mistakes made along the way. When Craig gave his feedback, he said: “I thought it was really sloppy, messy, full of mistakes.”

Although Anton Du Beke cut in, saying he enjoyed it, Craig didn’t hold back as he was clearly unimpressed with the routine, telling her it wasn’t her night.

Despite Gorka remaining composed during the criticism, body language and behavioural expert Darren Stanton believes he took it as a personal insult.

Strictly Come Dancing's Gorka Marquez and Dr Punam were at the bottom of the leaderboard
Strictly Come Dancing's Gorka Marquez and Dr Punam were at the bottom of the leaderboard -Credit:BBC
The pair were given a total score of 20 for their routine
The pair were given a total score of 20 for their routine -Credit:PA

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing fans spot 'feud' after Johannes Radebe 'calls out' judge

READ MORE: ITV This Morning fans fans question Josie Gibson's absence amid fears she's being 'phased out'

He told Betfair Casino: “With Gorka and Punam, we could see them in trouble this weekend. On Saturday night, Gorka didn’t like it when Craig said the routine was ‘sloppy’, he took it as an insult and flashed an expression of contempt.

“He also voiced how he felt, and said, ‘she’s a GP, not a dancer’, defending the comments. Punam has been super confident from the outset, but I feel in the last week or so, we’ve seen a decrease in illustrators e.g. her facial expressions.

“She flashes fear and nerves quite a lot, more so in the last couple of weeks, meaning she’s become less confident in what she’s doing, and shows an internal feeling that she knows she will struggle. There are definitely some nerves there.”

In the end, they were given a total of 20 out of a possible 40, landing them at the bottom of the leaderboard. However, when it came to the results, the duo were saved by the public for another week.

Strictly Come Dancing's Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk were the third people to leave the competition
Strictly Come Dancing's Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk were the third people to leave the competition -Credit:BBC/Guy Levy

Sadly, it was Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk and Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu who found themselves in the bottom two. The judges all decided to save Shayne, making Nick the third person to leave the show alongside Toyah Willcox and Tom Dean.

After his exit, Tess Daly told Nick everybody loved having him on the show before he detailed his experience. He said: “I’ve really been surprised with how much I’ve loved doing it!”

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One from 6:25pm