Strictly Come Dancing’s Kristina Rihanoff has revealed the devastating effects the judges’ comments can have on the stars.
The professional dancer left the BBC series in 2015 after being on the show for eight years.
The 45-year-old explained how she wishes at the beginning they could be more “encouraging” because of how “scared” her previous dance partners have been in the past.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Tyler West shuts down rumours he’s been flirting with Shirley Ballas
Over her Strictly career, she has worked with John Sergeant, Joe Calzaghe, Goldie, Jason Donavon, Colin Salmon, Ben Cohen, Simon Webbe, and Daniel O’Donnell.
Kristina chatted exclusively to the Daily Star and said: “You always wish that they would be a little more encouraging because the celebs up until four weeks are still completely scared to come on the floor.
(Image: BBC)
“It doesn’t really matter who you dance with, I remember dancing with Jason Donovan and he was a very seasoned performer but was truly scared and you really want the judges to at least give something positive so they don’t feel ridiculed.
“This is why I really loved Len Goodman even on his grumpiest days he would always say constructive criticism with some positivity at the very end.”
“Whereas when they would say ‘this is awful and terrible’ you’d spend hours and hours being more of a life coach telling them it’s all gonna be OK rather than teaching dancing.
(Image: Kristina Rihanoff)
“l think the judges’ remarks are a little too harsh, they should be more encouraging. I get it’s a competition and they get technical but I think encouragement would be lovely.”
Kristina revealed that one celebrity that was particularly affected by harsh criticism from the judges was Blue singer Simon Webbe, as he had been in a dark place at the time of the series.
She said: “He was a great person to work with but it started very rough because he was not in a good place mentally and he was so affected by those negative remarks.
“He was extremely down and we had lots of conversations about how even in the competitive world how it all works and when you get knocked down and how to deal with it.
(Image: Kristina Rihanoff)
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
“But only later he told me what was happening with him and eventually he got his mojo back and started producing really incredible dances and coming out of his shell and doing great.
“For me, that was a really special process with him as by week two I thought we were going to be out of the competition as he said he didn’t want to do it or be here, and then we made it to the final.”
Since leaving the show, Kristina has set up her own dance academy called Bespoke Ballroom where she helps teach kids her craft.
The dancer has also set up a second business with her partner Ben – a Wellness Academy called Soo Yoga.
READ MORE:
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
