Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Vincent Simone has warned that Dani Dyer needs to work harder, pointing to stiffness in her legs and feet as the key issue holding her back.
The former Love Island winner and professional partner Nikita Kuzmin secured their highest score of the series so far last weekend, earning 31 out of 40 points for their Salsa routine. That mark was eight points higher than the previous week, when they finished third from the bottom of the leaderboard.
Advice on improving elasticity
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk on behalf of Paddy Power Games, Simone said: "Dani Dyer needs to work harder."
He added: "Her legs and her feet are a bit too stiff, and I said this last week. They need to work more on the body stretching and put a bit more elasticity into what she does."
Praise for Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola
Simone was full of praise for Vito Coppola and his teaching of Lacey Turner throughout the competition.
"For me, every week, Lacey has been just amazing. Vito is just fantastic, he just cracks on with it," he shared. "The way he swings her off the floor is like, 'Wow, Mamma Mia!' It's like a tornado. She's doing so well, and I think she was undermarked on Saturday. I really enjoy watching them together, so I think definitely her."
Shaun Wright-Phillips 'undermarked'
Shaun Wright-Phillips became the latest celebrity to leave the competition after finding himself in the bottom two alongside Jaime Winstone. According to Simone, the son of Ian Wright was "undermarked", with the former professional believing he did not receive the recognition he deserved for his improvement.
"The other person who really shocked me was Shaun with Alexis [Warr]. The way he was undermarked too," he shared. "From the first performance, when he was really shy, really timid and really stiff, to the way he performed on Saturday, I went, 'Wow!' It's like not the same person. I loved that he improved so, so much. They were my favourites as well on Saturday. Just them two, I would say."
Anton Du Beke's apology to Jarrod Bowen
During last weekend's show, judge Anton Du Beke jokingly apologised to Dani's husband, Jarrod Bowen, following an awkward comment about her dance. Sharing his critique, Anton said: "I enjoyed that. I was watching you last week doing the Rumba and I said you were a bit timid. It was a little bit, 'Look out, my father [Danny Dyer] is watching. Obviously your father's not in tonight because you were, 'Woah, go on girl!'"
After Nikita pointed out that West Ham footballer Jarrod was there instead, Anton replied: "Oh her husband is!", before directly addressing Jarrod in the audience. "I'd just like to say I'm very sorry," he joked.
The remaining couples will return to the dance floor for a Halloween special tonight. Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.30pm on BBC One.
