Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole has said it was a "mistake" to introduce Shaun Wright-Phillips' dad, Ian Wright, into the show so early in the contest. He also suggested Shaun's days on the programme are numbered.
Last weekend, Shaun found himself in the bottom two alongside Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters. After both contestants reprised their routines, the judges were divided over who to save before Anton Du Beke, holding the deciding vote, chose to save Shaun.
Brendan Cole's verdict on Shaun's chances
Cole, who served as a professional dancer on the BBC programme from 2004 to 2017, has been offering his candid views on this year's series. Reflecting on the outcome, he suggested Aljaz Skorjanec may have erred by inviting another choreographer into the room to assist with his and Melanie's Charleston routine.
Regarding Shaun, Cole also pondered whether introducing his dad, Ian, onto the show during the competition's first week, instead of reserving the appearance for later, was a misstep.
'His days are numbered'
Speaking to Sky Vegas, he said: "Shaun came in with a lot of talk and a lot of gusto, which I loved, but he hasn't been able to match that with what he's delivered."
"Is he going to be the best dancer on the show? No. Has he got the personality and charisma to carry him a couple of weeks? Yes. Has he got the personality and charisma to carry him all the way through to the end? Probably not," he shared.
"They've already used his dad in the VT. They can't do that every week. Ian's very, very popular, probably one of the most popular TV pundits there is. They've already used that early doors. They could have probably used that next week or the week after to try to keep him in but I'd imagine his days are numbered on the show," Brendan continued.
Shaun's focus on improvement
During Icons Week, Shaun and his professional partner, Alexis Warr, took to the dance floor for a Couple's Choice routine set to a James Brown medley.
Speaking previously on behalf of OLBG, Shaun reflected on his experience in the competition so far, admitting that while he would love to top the leaderboard, his main priority was improving each week.
"Do you know what? It'll be great to be at the top of the leaderboard. I am not going to sit here and deny that. But most importantly for me, I just want to get better.
"I just want to improve each week, and that's what I'm going to keep working hard at - improving on everything that I'm being taught and learning as much as possible," he added.
Reflecting on the challenges of learning new routines, he continued: "I've honestly been worried about all of [the dances], to be honest with you. But no, I'm actually enjoying the learning process, and the challenge of getting your feet into positions - especially for me - that they've never, ever been in before, to try and make the dance look the way it's supposed to."
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs tonight at 7.10pm on BBC One.
