She has faced constant criticism that she is over-trained to be on Strictly Come Dancing, and that her place on the show is a ‘fix’, but pop star Ashley Roberts has defended herself after making the final.
After finding herself in the bottom two for the third week running, the former Pussycat Doll explained that she doesn’t have the dance expertise that people think.
While thanking fans for their support in an Instagram post today, the 37-year-old confessed: “I remember when I first started I had to call my mom (she’s a huge fan of the show) to ask her what style was ballroom and which was Latin! And now I can say I sort of enjoy a ballroom hold 😳😱 and a little cha cha of the hips!”
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It comes after some Strictly viewers hailed the show a “fix” when the judges opted to save Ashley and Pasha, 38, over Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman, 25, and her professional partner AJ Pritchard, 24.
Following the dance-off, judge Darcey Bussell said Ashley and Pasha had a “more finished performance”, while Bruno Tonioli branded them “more accomplished overall”.
One fan tweeted:”WOW what a FIX! In the dance off three times… c’mon judges 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ #strictly #BBCstrictly #StrictlyComeDancing”.
Anther wrote: “#strictly #StrictlyComeDancing #StrictlyComeDancing2018 Bye Lauren…unfair you will leave while the person in the bottom 2 3rd week in a row gets to stay. FIX.”
And a third added:”#ashleyroberts will be in the bottom two tonight! & of course she will be saved as usual to make sure she is in the final! All a fix!”
WOW what a FIX! In the dance off three times… c’mon judges 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ #strictly #BBCstrictly #StrictlyComeDancing
— Laura (@laura_romaine) December 9, 2018
#strictly #StrictlyComeDancing #StrictlyComeDancing2018 Bye Lauren…unfair you will leave while the person in the bottom 2 3rd week in a row gets to stay. FIX.
— Arctic Blast (@AFPMan2014) December 9, 2018
#StrictlyComeDancing #ashleyroberts will be in the bottom two tonight! & of course she will be saved as usual to make sure she is in the final! All a fix!
— Brandon! (@brendant79) December 9, 2018
Ashley has kept her head held high despite the setbacks she has faced throughout the competition.
She recently admitted that she “can’t believe we’ve gotten this far”.
Read more: Kevin Clifton assures fans he’s not quitting Strictly
This weekend’s final will see Ashley, Steps’ Faye Tozer, vlogger Joe Suggs and broadcaster Stacey Dooley compete to win the Glitterball trophy.
Do you think Ashley could win? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.