Emma Willis appeared to hit out at critics of the new Strictly Come Dancing hosting trio with a pointed post on Instagram. Presenter Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and dancer Johannes Radebe fronted the first live show at the weekend as the new hosting team after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s exit.
While many praised the group’s chemistry, some viewers took issue with Widdicombe’s presenting skills, claiming he kept “missing his cue” and looked like a “spare part”. Amid the backlash, Willis shared a telling message on social media about getting “judged” as part of a round-up of behind-the-scenes Strictly snaps.
Willis's Instagram post
As the last slide in the dump, The Voice presenter posted a snap of a pink canvas with blue writing that read: “You will get judged either way so may as well pick the fun option.” The other photos included selfies with the crew and her husband Matt Willis, whom some fans have been urging her to host Strictly with instead of Widdicombe.
Willis captioned the post: “And then… we were LIVE! A little camera roll dump from our first weekend of live shows.”
Fan support
Fans flooded the comments to share their support for Willis’ quote in the last slide, with one writing: “Photo 6 is so true. Hope the negatives you 3 presenters are getting, obviously by professionals [yeah right]. “You know its the small [minded] majority. The rest of us are enjoying you 3 presenters bringing something different to Strictly. I for one are loving you all doing You and bringing the individuality to a great show each way. Love to You, Josh and JoJo.”
Another added, “You guys were brilliant, everyone will warm up . Its all about change x,” and a third posted: “Brilliant as always. As are Josh and Johanes!!!”
Widdicombe's blunders
Widdicombe came under fire after a series of apparent blunders during the live show on Saturday. After chatting with contestant Cach Mercer backstage, Radebe asked Widdicombe and Willis, “Who’s dancing now?” and cut to Widdicombe standing onstage in silence, before realising it was his cue to speak. The same issue appeared to happen again during a different handover.
Hours after the barrage of comments online, Widdicombe took to his Instagram Story to re-share a round-up post from the official Strictly Instagram page. It was captioned, "Caught on camera from week one!" and featured a snap of him flashing a peace sign while posing backstage with Willis. The comments on the post were full of support for Widdicombe, with fans saying they were “saddened” by the backlash.
First live show
The weekend marked the first live show for the new presenting team and attracted a peak of five million viewers, the BBC has said. It saw social media star John Nellis top the Strictly leader board with his partner Katya Jones after impressing judges with a foxtrot to Alex Warren’s Ordinary. As part of the new host shake-up, Willis and Widdicombe present by the judges’ table while Radebe welcomes the dancers backstage ahead of the score reveal. The first show did not include a public vote or elimination.
