Strictly Come Dancing professional Vito Coppola defended his choreography during Saturday night's live show after judge Craig Revel Horwood criticised his Foxtrot routine, insisting he had not broken the rules.
Performing with EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, the couple danced a Foxtrot to 'Have You Met Miss Jones?' by Robbie Williams. Craig took issue with the routine, suggesting it looked more like an American Smooth.
Judge's Criticism
"It wasn't a Foxtrot so I don't know how we're meant to judge that," Craig said. "Foxtrot is not an open dance. You could have saved this for an American Smooth."
Vito swiftly challenged the judge, saying: "Rules say 70 per cent should be Foxtrot, 30 per cent is open, so I literally did not break the rules." Craig, however, argued that "it was not equal".
Vito's Response
Vito made clear he respected Craig's opinion before accepting responsibility for the criticism, acknowledging that the choreography was his own doing. Turning his attention to Lacey, Vito declared: "You have nothing to worry about because you have been amazing, you're beautiful, and I'm so proud of you."
Prior to Craig's remarks, Anton Du Beke had also agreed that the routine appeared more akin to an American Smooth. "As a dance, that was a thing of beauty," he began. "You were very free, very open. Theatrically it was gorgeous. I liked the performance enormously. And I looked down and it said Foxtrot and I went 'oh', because that looked like an American Smooth to me."
He continued: "I looked at the Foxtrot bit and it wasn't bad. But there was a lot of gapping and your frame was breaking down a little bit too much. I'm sort of torn between a rock and a hard place here because the performance was lovely and I enjoyed it enormously, but the Foxtrot bit was the weakest part of the dance."
Leaderboard and Fan Support
When speaking to presenter Johannes Radebe upstairs, Vito stood by his choreography, explaining he had attempted to create a routine incorporating the guidance he had been given by the judges. He stated: "We as pros respect and love the judges so much. But I feel like I didn't break any rules."
The duo received 27 out of 40 points, placing them joint bottom of the leaderboard alongside Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley and Will Best and Dianne Buswell.
Viewers at home quickly rallied behind Vito as one X user commented: "Vito once again confirming he's an actual angel #strictly," with a second agreeing: "vito is one in a million everything would be a little better if everyone was a bit more vito #strictly."
A third fan posted: "vito is the cutest person ever genuinely. speaking up and disagreeing whilst still taking accountability and respecting craig's opinion. vito u are so loved #strictly."
And a final supporter shared: "I thought the dance was beautiful. I loved seeing Vito defend her like that - such a great partnership #strictly."
Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC iPlayer.
