Strictly Come Dancing professional Vito Coppola has received an outpouring of support after an on-air disagreement with judge Craig Revel Horwood during the latest live show. The clash took place on the Saturday, November 14 episode, as celebrities and their professional partners competed for a place in next week's Blackpool special.
Foxtrot Choreography Dispute
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola performed a Foxtrot to 'Have You Met Miss Jones?' by Robbie Williams. Craig Revel Horwood was unimpressed, arguing the routine resembled an American Smooth more than a Foxtrot.
"It wasn't a Foxtrot so I don't know how we're meant to judge that," he said. "Foxtrot is not an open dance. You could have saved this for an American Smooth."
Vito responded: "Rules say 70 per cent should be Foxtrot, 30 per cent is open, so I literally did not break the rules," reports the Express. Craig countered that "it was not equal." Vito acknowledged Craig's perspective and took responsibility for the choreography, telling Turner: "You have nothing to worry about because you have been amazing, you're beautiful, and I'm so proud of you."
Judges' Mixed Reactions
Fellow judge Anton Du Beke also felt the routine looked more like an American Smooth. "As a dance, that was a thing of beauty," he said. "You were very free, very open. Theatrically it was gorgeous. I liked the performance enormously. But I looked down and it said Foxtrot and I went 'oh', because that looked like an American Smooth to me."
He added: "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."
Speaking to presenter Johannes Radebe, Vito stood his ground, saying: "We as pros respect and love the judges so much. But I feel like I didn't break any rules."
Fan Support and Leaderboard
The duo scored 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 rallied behind Vito on social media. One X user commented: "Vito once again confirming he's an actual angel #strictly," with another adding: "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." 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 available on BBC iPlayer.
