Hamza Yassin dealt gasp-worthy jibe from Strictly's Anton Du Beke
The fan favourite was subject to some harsh criticism this week.
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke gave some fiery criticism of Hamza Yassin's legwork this evening, after the Countryfile cameraman performed an Argentine Tango in week 10 of the competition.
Initial feedback to the routine by Hamza and his professional partner Jowita Przystał was very positive, with head judge Shirley Ballas heaping praise on both of them.
However, things took a turn for the worse when Anton Du Beke gave his thoughts, taking an altogether dimmer view on the dance set to Libertango by Bond.
"This was a dance of two halves for me," he began. "The top half was intense. It was calm; it was strong; it was leading; it was powerful. The bottom half looked like you played centre-forward for Bradford City."
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The comment provoked gasps from the live studio audience as well as shocked comments from both Ballas and Motsi Mabuse, especially as Anton got up from his chair to comically mimic Yassin's legs "going up like this".
Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly remarked that the comments "took a turn none of us expected".
Anton added: "I have to tell you, I think you're brilliant... [But] I would like you to have tidied up your legs a bit. But other than that, it was a brilliant performance."
Craig Revel Horwood came to his defence: "I totally agree with Anton. It was extremely messy.
"I felt like you'd only concentrated really on the top half, which worked brilliantly, and if I was going to love any part of the dance, it was the top half."
Strictly Come Dancing fans were quick to hit back at Anton and Craig's criticism of Hamza, who has been the breakout star of this year's competition.
Weighing in on the judges' debate, one Twitter user said that they "loved the top and the bottom part" of the dance.
Another Strictly fan expressed shock at the tone of Anton's comments, suggesting they sounded more like something Craig would usually say.
However, some viewers did agree that Hamza's legs needed work and were surprised that Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse gave the dance perfect 10s.
Ultimately, Hamza and Jowita scored a very strong 37 points from the judges, with Anton giving 9 despite his criticism. Tune into the Strictly Come Dancing results show to find out if it's enough to send them through to Musicals Week.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs tomorrow night at 6pm on BBC One. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide for more to watch.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
