Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly has said that the viewers of the show are being too hard on contestant Ashley Roberts.

The former Pussycat Dolls star has found herself and partner Pasha Kovalev in the bottom two couples for two weeks in a row.

That’s despite the pair scoring a solid 38 for their quickstep last weekend, and the first 40 of the series in Blackpool.

The singer appears to be suffering a backlash from viewers, after her dance experience has come under scrutiny.

Roberts, who’s been on screen since she was a teenager, has been dancing since the age of three, while the majority of the contestants on the series are dance novices.

“I actually feel sorry for Ashley because she was in tears on Sunday night, when she was in the bottom two,” Tess told Metro.

“She’s got dance experience in a pop band, but she hasn’t necessarily danced in ballroom before, it’s a different genre and I’m sure she’s never done the Viennese waltz in her career with the Pussycat Dolls.

“I think cut her a little slack, she’s an absolute sweetheart and doesn’t deserve that!”

Tess added that she also welled up at seeing Ashley in the bottom two.

“I welled up and got teary, I just felt for her, you don’t want to see anyone crying,” she went on.

“She’s working so hard. The hours they train are insane, it means so much to her to do well, it’s not like she just turns up on Saturday, she works so hard, it means a lot to her.

“She’s really fighting to do well, and you can’t take that away from her! She’s working hard, her and Pasha, the hours they put in are crazy!”

The pair were then sent into the dance off with Charles Venn and Karen Clifton, the judges finally choosing Ashley and Pasha to stay on to next week’s semi-finals.

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