Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Vincent Simone has praised Katya Jones as the only female dancer on the show creating "amazing" choreography. The 47-year-old, who appeared on the BBC programme from 2006 to 2012 and still tours with former colleagues, remains a keen follower of the series.
Vincent's predictions for this weekend
Vincent has been closely watching the current series and has shared his views on several couples. He said he has enjoyed the performances of Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, while naming Lacey Turner, partnered with Vito Coppola, as one to watch.
Reflecting on Katya Jones and John Nellis' recent performance, Vincent predicted a comeback for the duo after they received their lowest score of the series so far, 20 out of 40 points.
"They should have been right up there because I think John is really, really good, and I'm sure next week they'll do the Paso Doble, but I'm sure it's going to be amazing because Katya is the only female professional who comes up with these amazing choreographies," he told Paddy Power, as reported by the Express.
Katya's choreography praised
"I don't know how she does it, but she's like a genius. So I think John is going to do really, really well next week. He'll be in the top two for sure."
This week, the pair are set to perform the Paso Doble to Bon Jovi's It's My Life for Icons Week. Katya, one of the show's longest-serving professionals, won the Glitterball Trophy with Joe McFadden in 2017.
Weakest couples identified
Vincent also shared his thoughts on who might struggle to win the trophy this year, expressing doubts about the performances of Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Callion, as well as Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr.
"I think that part of the Paso Doble they did, she could have been a bit more relaxed and actually looked stronger," he remarked on Sarah's performance.
"But it happened before, even in my years. When people come from the Olympics, really fit in a way, it's kind of weird because when you give them a strong dance, they actually look weaker, whereas people who are used to fitness or sport can actually look stronger," he elaborated.
"So I would say at the moment the two weakest couples are Sarah and Julian, and Shaun and Alexis."
Last week, Shaun and Alexis found themselves in the bottom two alongside Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec. This week, they will perform a Couple's Choice routine to a James Brown medley as they aim to avoid the bottom two again.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One.
