Meet Jacqui Smith – Strictly Come Dancing contestant and former Home Secretary
Everything you need to know about the ex Labour politician who is in this year's Strictly line-up.
The Strictly Come Dancing live shows returned for week two this weekend, with former MP Jacqui Smith taking to the dance floor once again with her dance partner Anton Du Beke.
The politician had a lot to prove this week, after finishing in the last spot on the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard in week one.
But sadly, it wasn't enough to top the leaderboard as she found herself at the bottom yet again, with just 12 points.
Although she didn't manage to raise her score from the week before, Smith did receive some praise from the Strictly Come Dancing judges and clearly seemed to have improved as she performed a Samba to the tune of Help Yourself by Tom Jones.
Here's everything you need to know about Jacqui Smith - who is part of this year's Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
Who is Jacqui Smith?
Age: 57
Twitter: @Jacqui_Smith1
Job: Former Home Secretary
Partnered with: Anton Du Beke
Jacqui Smith was the Labour MP for Redditch from 1997 until 2010, during which time she served in a number of cabinet posts.
Her most prominent role was as Home Secretary following Gordon Brown's election as Labour leader, a role which she held from 1007 until 2009, while prior to this she held positions as Chief Whip, Minister for schools and Minister for Industry.
She lost her seat at the 2010 General Election to Conservative candidate Karen Lumley, and has since pursued a number of other projects.
Currently, she co-hosts a politics and current affairs podcast called For The Many on LBC, along with journalist Iain Dale, while she regularly appears as a guest on programmes such as This Week, Sky News' Press Preview and Good Morning Britain.
Jacqui Smith's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard:
Week One: Foxtrot (3 + 5 + 5) = 13
Week Two: Samba (2 + 5 + 5) = 12
So far, Jacqui's Strictly journey hasn't got off to a smooth start. She found herself at the bottom of the leaderboard with her Foxtrot.
Shirley Ballas said she was "pleasantly surprised" by her performance and offered her a five, as did Motsi Mabuse.
However, Craig branded her debut routine "a little bit lumpy."
Thankfully Jacqui wasn't deterred by the criticism.
Strictly Come Dancing live shows air Saturday nights on BBC One. To find out what else is on in the meantime, check out our TV Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
