Comedian Julian Clary has insisted that Strictly Come Dancing bosses ‘control’ which celebs leave the process amid rumours that Motsi Mabuse made a knowing gesture to Judi Love on this weekend’s show.
The star, 62, reached the final of the second ever series of Strictly back in 2004 with his professional dance partner Lilia Kopylova.
The couple eventually placed third, while EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny was declared the winner.
But Julian has now raised suspicions about the voting process after claiming bosses “didn’t want” him in the final – but, as the competition was then judged solely via public vote, couldn’t avoid it.
In his final round, Julian performed the Quickstep to Sparkling Diamonds, the Samba to the Conga song and for his Show Dance chose Take My Breath Away.
Speaking to The Times, he explained: “It was all done on the public vote then, and I don’t think they wanted me in the final.
“I wasn’t very good. There were better dancers than me. Now they have the dance-off thing.
“They’ve sussed a way to control it.”
It comes after this series of Strictly has sparked numerous ‘fix’ claims after Judi Love was eliminated from the competition on Sunday after a dance-off with Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty.
Loose Women star Judi found herself the fifth celebrity to leave the show.
But fans are sure they spotted a ‘secret’ exchange between Judi and Motsi during the judges’ comments, as Motsi said: “Well, I have to say that dance-off was really great. It was great to watch both couples dancing on the dance floor.
“The decision was made for me, so I have to say that the couple I will be saving is Adam and Katya.”
Fans spotted that Motsi seemed to ‘wink’ at Judi after delivering her comments, with others turning to social media, baffled by her words.
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
“Did Motsi just say ‘the decision has been made for me’? Little bit fishy if you ask me!” one fan tweeted.
Someone else agreed: “‘The decision was made for me…’ By whom? What did Motsi mean by that?!”
As another fan echoed: “Oof, Motsi’s phrasing there – ‘the decision was made for me’ – isn’t gonna help the conspiracies that think the whole thing is fixed.”
However, it has also been suggested Motsi could simply have been referring to the fact that Judi made a mistake during her routine, meaning she had to vote for Adam as he was the better dancer.
Daily Star has contacted the BBC for comment.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6:45pm on BBC One
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
