Strictly Come Dancing fans have rallied behind Shaun Wright-Phillips after he admitted feeling frustrated and anxious during his debut on the BBC One show. The football pundit and son of Ian Wright, partnered with professional dancer Alexis Warr, performed a Cha Cha to Lil Boo Thang by Paul Russell during Saturday evening's live broadcast.
While some judges found his routine charming and likeable, Motsi Mabuse noted his reluctance to fully embrace the performance, which could put him at risk of an early departure. He scored a total of 15 points on the leaderboard, a mark that will carry forward to the following week as no elimination took place during the opening episode.
Fans offer encouragement online
Supporters took to Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, to express a unified sentiment, encouraging the former England international to “not hold back”. One commented: “Shaun is very entertaining but he was very nervous and stiff sadly. Alexis will bring the best out of him.”
Another viewer observed: “He tried hard but needs to relax into it more, he had the steps but may have felt self-conscious, as most of us would. He can improve, I'm sure.” A third supporter concurred: “Aww Shaun, he just needs to loosen up and feel confidence”, while a fourth added: “Shaun, don't hold back, just let loose and enjoy it. Hoping we see him do a ballroom next week, got a feeling he could have some ballroom magic.”
Shaun admits anxiety after performance
After his debut, Shaun shared on Instagram: “After two weeks of demanding training and a lot of frustrating moments, to be honest, I felt quite anxious during the warm-up, and walking to the car to take my seat involved a pep talk to breathe and take everything in stride.”
He continued: “The crowd's atmosphere was impressive but intensified my nerves, though I began to settle once I started. I was pleased to perform every step accurately in the routine. I am keen to start on Monday, developing the new dance and taking the judges' feedback on board. Can't wait for what's ahead!”
Head judge praises technique
Head judge Shirley Ballas was swift to commend the footballing legend during her critique, stating: “You danced a checked forward walk and a checked forward walk is used to change direction, and you changed direction superbly. You used a back cucaracha, which requires two straight legs to manoeuvre your lady, stayed slap bang on time.”
She added: “When you move in Rumba or Cha Cha, one leg should be straight and one leg should be bent. You swing that bent one underneath the body, you kept them a little bit too straight, but there was so much here to like with room for improvement. Did I actually see a sweetheart with a natural top? You see, you had some good choreography in there along with your tricks and flicks and everything else you did.”
Shaun is one of three dancers at the bottom of the leaderboard, alongside Dame Sarah Storey with her partner Julian Caillon, and Melanie Walters with Aljaž Škorjanec. Their marks from week one will be added to their week two scores before the first elimination. Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 6.15pm.
