The Strictly Come Dancing judges could boast a new arrival this series, according to one Strictly pro.
Neil Jones has revealed exclusively to Entertainment Daily that show bosses “might turn around and say: ‘Anton, we’re going to make you the fourth judge.'”
The news would no doubt delight Anton Du Beke fans.
They raved about his performance on the judging panel when he stepped in for Motsi Mabuse for two weeks during the 2020 series.
What did Neil Jones say about the Strictly Come Dancing judges?
ED! asked Neil if Bruno Tonioli was likely to make a return to the panel this year.
He said: “I have no idea. Anton was incredible and Bruno is always hilarious. But again it all comes down to COVID.
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“If we still have a similar situation next year you never know. They might turn around and say: ‘Anton, we’re going to make you the fourth judge.'”
Does Anton want to be one of the Strictly Come Dancing judges?
So does Neil think Anton would take the show bosses up on any offer that may come his way?
“Anton loved it but Anton also loves dancing and he loves being in the group dances with all of us.
“We all trust in the production staff because year after year they win awards, the numbers are going up, people love the show, so they know what they’re doing.
“So we stick to the dancing and we let them stick to the production side.”
Neil reveals he missed Craig’s cutting comments
Neil wasn’t partnered with a celebrity for the last series of the BBC dance show and said that he missed Craig Revel Horwood’s cutting comments.
“It’s really funny because this time where we were sat right across from him, after he’d give a comment and they’d go up the stairs we’d all start pulling faces at him or we’d be booing him,” Neil revealed.
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“He’s in his character and it’s fantastic. But Craig is incredible, he’s such a nice guy. He’s always nice to us all but what he says, I don’t disagree with him a lot of the time, he nails it,” he added.
So is Neil hoping for a celebrity partner on the next series of Strictly?
“I think it’s the whole thing with COVID, it’s just unknown,” he said.
Showing there’s clearly no hard feelings, Neil added: “In the end it always comes down to the celebs because they try to partner everyone up. I think they nailed it last year with all the pairings, I thought they were great.”
Neil was ‘fine’ with not having a celeb partner
Commenting on his part on the show this year, Neil revealed he was “fine with it” when producers told him he wouldn’t be paired with a celebrity.
“When I spoke to production and they said there’s going to be less celebs, I was fine with it. For me it’s about being part of the show.
“So whether I have a partner or don’t have a partner, as long as I’m part of the show that makes me happy until I don’t want to be part of it it’s all good.
“But at the moment I love every moment of it,” he said, clearly showing no signs of wanting to leave the Strictly family.
Neil is hosting a dance challenge on new app Compete – join the fun here. He is also offering free daily dance classes at 10am on his Instagram @mr_neiljonesofficial during lockdown. His Tall Blonde & Ginger podcast is out every Friday on Acast, iTunes and Spotify.
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