Strictly Come Dancing contestant Alex Kingston became emotional during Saturday night's show as she revealed a hidden condition that made her week seven performance particularly challenging.
The Difficult Paso Doble
The 62-year-old actor, known for roles in Doctor Who and ER, performed a paso doble with professional partner Johannes Radebe to "Amparito Roca" by Jamie Texidor, a traditional instrumental track without lyrics. Judges immediately noticed her diminished confidence compared to previous weeks.
Motsi Mabuse commented that this marked "the first time that I've felt a little bit of insecurity from you", while also noting the performance lacked spatial awareness and fire. Craig Revel Horwood was even more critical, describing the dance as "a little bit middle of the road".
The Dyscalculia Revelation
When Kingston joined host Claudia Winkleman in the "Clauditorium" for her post-dance interview, she made a revealing confession about her condition. "The thing is, I'm numerically dyslexic so I can't count," Kingston explained, referring to dyscalculia.
According to the NHS, dyscalculia is a persistent difficulty in understanding numbers that affects approximately one in twenty people. Kingston admitted this made dancing to music without lyrics particularly problematic, as she relies on lyrical cues rather than counting beats.
Winkleman comforted the tearful contestant, reminding her that "you're not supposed to love every dance", which prompted Kingston to acknowledge she had expected to enjoy the dramatic paso doble more.
Support and Scores
The emotional moment saw Winkleman encouraging other contestants and professional dancers to comfort Kingston, creating a heartwarming scene that resonated with viewers. Fans took to social media to praise Winkleman's handling of the situation, with one Twitter user describing her as "the perfect presenter".
Despite the challenges, Kingston and Radebe managed to secure 30 points from the judges, placing them in the lower half of the leaderboard during a high-scoring episode that saw Vicky Pattison receive the first perfect tens of the series.
The revelation about dyscalculia has sparked conversations about the hidden challenges faced by celebrities on entertainment shows and how conditions affecting numerical processing can impact performance in unexpected ways.
