TV

Viewers accuse Strictly star of disrespecting the dead

Saturday’s show offended them

Strictly Come Dancing celebrated Halloween last night and it was quite a sight to see.

From Shirley Ballas as Cruella de Vil to Susan Calman as Daenerys Targaryen, the costumes were very impressive indeed.

In fact, the whole show was stuffed full of ghosts, ghouls and supernatural goings- on, but some viewers were unimpressed by the whole thing.

However, it wasn’t a costume that irked viewers on social media, but rather the location in which one couple chose to rehearse.

In a pre- recorded film, Aston Merrygold and his professional partner Janette Manrara were shown heading to a cemetery to practise their dance moves.

Read more: Furious Strictly viewers dispute judges’ scores for Debbie McGee

“A cemetary in the daytime?” queried Aston.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t bring you here at night! It’s way too scary!” joked Janette.

“Janette has brought me to a cemetary to work on my Paso,” explained Aston. “The routine is starting to come together nicely. I’m kind of getting into the spirit of things!” he joked.

The pair were pictured dancing among the tombstones before Janette went on to tell Aston:

“I think this is a good place to practise. You are super- focused, nothing can take you away from the Paso Doble determination that you need.”

At that point, an actor dressed as a stone angel statue tapped Janette on the shoulder and she ran off screaming, joined by Aston, before the angel held up a score of 10.

It was a bit of fun, but that didn’t stop some viewers from branding it disrespectful.

However, when the couple actually performed, there were few complaints from the judges.

Aston and Janette performed a Paso Doble to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana with Aston dressed as a skeleton.

Read more: Strictly viewers fuming about Ruth and Anton’s Halloween costumes

Shirley praised the pair, but added it wasn’t ‘conventional enough’ for her, although Craig couldn’t get enough.

“A Paso shouldn’t contain pops and locks but I’m glad it did, amazing,” he said of the pair’s modern take on the dance.

The duo bagged a hugely impressive 38 points, just one point behind Debbie McGee, who almost received perfect marks for her Charleston to Frankie by Sister Sledge.

Just choose somewhere else to rehearse next time guys!


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor