Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton has questioned whether the show's rules are still being enforced, claiming she spotted several breaches during last weekend's performances.
Speaking on the At Home With Vanessa podcast, Clifton, who danced on the show from 2014 to 2016, told host Vanessa Feltz: "I think, without sounding like grumpy old Len [Goodman], where's the rules?"
"That's my big thing, where are the rules? Like literally we had three couples that did illegal lifts, it wasn't mentioned."
Viennese Waltz criticism
Clifton, 42, also said some couples were not in hold and not doing the required content, which she said was mentioned for two couples but not a third.
"We had people not in hold, people not doing the content, which was mentioned for two of the couples but then we had a third, which I counted, the Viennese Waltz," she said.
"They did less than a third of the music because you can count, one, two, three is one second and they do 90 seconds, they did less than 30 seconds in hold but they got praised for it."
Contestants not to blame
When asked which couple she meant, Clifton named Carlos Gu and Jaime Winstone. However, she stressed she did not blame the contestants for the apparent inconsistencies.
"I'm not blaming them because, at the end of the day, if the rules have somewhere down the line gone out the window, nobody mentions them anymore," she said.
"If your celebrity isn't good in hold, I'd do the same, let's keep them out of hold, no one mentions it, let's keep them out of hold."
Rules and entertainment
Clifton, who won the competition with Ore Oduba in 2016, said professional dancers are expected to remain in hold from the moment the music begins, only breaking away for an American Smooth or a Ballroom show dance.
She acknowledged that sticking rigidly to the rules could risk making routines seem "boring", given that Strictly is primarily an entertainment show. Nevertheless, she argued that remaining in hold is an important way to demonstrate progress, allowing viewers to see how contestants develop their technique and improve week to week.
Last weekend, 14 couples took to the dance floor, but the competition was reduced to 13 following the departure of Melanie Walters. The Gavin and Stacey star found herself in the bottom two alongside Shaun Wright-Phillips, with the judges divided over which contestant to save. With the deciding vote, Anton Du Beke chose to save Shaun, sending Melanie home. The remaining couples will return to the dance floor this weekend to perform as part of Icons Week.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One.
