Rachel third place in Strictly special

Last night the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special aired. Rachel and Vincent performed a romantic rumba to the Spice Girls hit "2 Become 1". Rachel came second in the main series, broke three Strictly records and scored more 10s than any other contestant. Her performance in the special was up to her usual standard, recieving high praise from the judges and an almost-perfect score of 39 points.

As reported before, three other couples also scored 39 points. This meant that the head judge Len Goodman needed to rank these four couples so that a winner could be chosen. Len awarded Rachel third place. When combined with the audience votes, previous winner Jill Halfpenny was the winner and Kelly Brook from last year's series was in second place.

Rachel posts on official forum

Hi Everyone

I am just coming back down to earth after Saturday night. WOW! What an amazing night!

Although I didn't win, I was quite emotional after 4 months of fun, madness and all sorts of feelings! I had a fantastic night and loved the dances and the atmosphere. Vince and I have had so much fun together. Not only has he been a great teacher, he has also become a true friend and I feel very lucky to have met him. Strictly has been a great show to be part of and I've loved every minute of it. Its sad to think that I won't be doing it next weekend but I've been getting ready for the Christmas show this weekend and tour rehearsals start first thing in the New Year which I'm really looking forward to - and to being on the road again - so it's not over yet!

I never dreamt I'd get this far, even though I hoped I would (!) so thank you so much for voting and for all your messages of support, they've really spurred me on and its great to know that you're all there with me!

I can now start my Christmas shopping - all be it, a little bit late! - and spend some downtime with my family and friends before 2009 starts.

As you know, my website was scheduled to be launched by now but because I did well in the competition, things have got a little delayed so please bear with us .... I'll work hard in the new year to sign off the designs etc as quickly as possible and hope you like it!

Its been a wonderful end to the year and I'm really looking forward to next year already. Thanks again so much for your constant support, it really does mean such a lot to me. Sending you lots of love and I wish you all a really happy Christmas and New Year.

Here's to more fun in 2009!
Much love
Rachel x

Rachel refutes judges claims that she is shy

Strictly Come Dancing runner-up Rachel Stevens has criticised the show's judges for labelling her "shy". The former S Club singer admitted that she became annoyed when the panellists commented on her personality following her weekly performances. Speaking to The Sun, Stevens insisted: "I'm not a shy person, I can't tell you how frustrating that was when the judges kept saying 'she's shy, she's shy'. It was so hard to stand there every week and be told I had no personality. I'm not in your face at all and I'm not a loud person, I admit, but I hate labelling people."

The ex-popstar added that she was finally able to show her true personality on the BBC One ballroom show after being carefully guided by record label chiefs when she was releasing music.
"With Strictly, my biggest challenge was to let go and lose control and the show gave me the opportunity to do that," she explained. "I hope people saw the real Rachel. I was really myself on the show."

Audience walks out of delayed Strictly special

Strictly Come Dancing has waltzed straight into a new voting fiasco.The latest shambles came during filming of the Christmas special – when judges tied FOUR of the contestants. BBC chiefs – still reeling from the embarrassment of the voting problems of the semi-final – were thrown into chaos. They were forced to hastily rewrite scripts and ask head judge Len Goodman to re-mark the dancers. But it meant the stars of the show – this year’s three finalists and former contestants Jill Halfpenny, Kelly Brook and Alesha Dixon – were all left waiting around for hours to find out who was crowned champion of champions.

Problems started after the judges gave four of the six celebs and their partners the same score. So instead of being ranked from six points down to one, four of the acts all had six points – giving the other two no chance of winning after the audience vote. One source at Monday night’s filming said: “Eventually they realised this wouldn’t work, so they asked Len Goodman to decide. He was told to put the four tied dancers into an order, so they got scores of six, five, four and three points. Everything had to be changed, scripts were rewritten and the presenters had to explain what was happening. Everything was delayed – it was a total shambles.”

Onlookers described scenes of 'utter confusion' as the studio audience, which was to pick the winner, was asked to vote a second time. At the recording on Monday, men and women cast their votes - but were told there would be a delay because of 'technical difficulties'. After an hour's hold-up, they were told they would have to vote again. As the BBC tried to keep them entertained, some were invited on stage to dance, while the band played and host Bruce Forsyth sang. Not all of them had time to spare. Up to a quarter of the 300-strong audience left before producers decided what to do, according to one audience member, although the BBC said only a handful walked out.

Ironically, the show featured Tom Chambers, Rachel Stevens and Lisa Snowdon who were involved in the previous voting farce just over two weeks ago.In the semis, Lisa and Rachel had the same top scores with the judges, meaning actor Tom could not avoid the dance off even if he won the public vote. At the time they decided to let all three acts go through to the final and described the circumstances as “extraordinary”. Now less than a month later, a similar problem has arisen – though this time no wasted phone votes were involved. A spokesman for the BBC admitted the four-way tie in the show, which goes out tomorrow night, caused problems. A spokesman said: “The show was stopped to give Len a chance to reach a decision and for producers to brief the presenters and dancers on changes to the running order.”

The Saturdays

Hiya everyone. Tamara has asked me to start adding news about The Saturdays! For those of you who don't know, The Saturdays are a girl band who have been extremely successful in 2008. The band consists of former S Club Juniors/8 members Frankie and Rochelle along with Mollie, Vanessa and Una. 2008 has been a great year for them. We all know how hard it is for new acts these days but they have definately had an amazing year.

In the spring this year the group joined Girls Aloud on their Tangled Up Tour. In July, the girls released their first single "If This Is Love" which reached number 8 in the charts. In October, "Up" was released which reached number 5 and stayed in the top 20 for 6 weeks. Their debut album "Chasing Lights" has just been certified Gold which is great news. The girls produce great dance music and ballads. And the best of all, they can sing live :-)

In 2008, the girls have done so many great things aside from their releases. To name a few, they have switched on Christmas lights, performed at the opening of a shopping centre, performed at the Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 arena, performed at the Childline Concert, headlined at the Clothes Show and performed a great cover on Live Lounge.

2009 also looks bright. On January 5th the girls will be releasing their third single and first ballad called "Issues". Last week, it was number 78 in the chart from downloads alone which means once the actual single and a physical copy is released it should chart well. The girls have confirmed that a fourth single will be released, this is rumoured to be "Work" or "Keep Her". The girls have also spoken about writing their second album and even doing a tour.

I will be adding news when I can about this amazing group! Until then, check out the girls official site and their Youtube channel.

Catch the girls on the National lottery mid-week draws this week!

I hope to add some news about From Above (Daisy's band) soon! I work for the music industry so have a little insiders gossip, but not much. All I can say at the moment is that they have been signed to the same record label as Beyoncé and their record label have big plans for them. They are set to be cracking America before the UK. There are a lot of rumours that the PussyCat Dolls will be dropped after next year and from above will take their place.

And Stacey McClean has recently recorded a single, so who knows what's in store for her!

Strictly special delayed by another scoring problem

In a series marked with so much contraversy, the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special wouldn't have been complete without one more scoring and voting fiasco.

Recording of the Christmas special was delayed after four couples came joint top on the judges' leader board. The tie meant the remaining two couples could not win the show after the studio audience had voted. The audience was asked to recast its votes after head judge Len Goodman re-ranked the relevant couples.

A BBC spokeswoman said the show was stopped to give Goodman "an opportunity to reach a considered decision". The BBC said the recording was stopped for more than an hour while a "contingency" plan was put in place. A statement said: "During the course of filming the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, there was a four-way tie at the top of the leader board after the judges had voted. "In these circumstances Len Goodman, as head judge, ranks the tying couples and that is what happened on this occasion. In order to allow for this contingency the show was stopped to give Len an opportunity to reach a considered decision and for producers to brief the presenters and dancers on the changed running order."

The BBC said the recording was stopped for more than an hour while a "contingency" plan was put in place. A statement said: "During the course of filming the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, there was a four-way tie at the top of the leader board after the judges had voted. "In these circumstances Len Goodman, as head judge, ranks the tying couples and that is what happened on this occasion. In order to allow for this contingency the show was stopped to give Len an opportunity to reach a considered decision and for producers to brief the presenters and dancers on the changed running order."

The 2008 series of Strictly Come Dancing sparked controversy after actor Tom Chambers was saved from the semi-final dance-off by a last-minute decision to let all three remaining couples go through to the final. The decision followed a tie between Stevens and Snowdon, who were awarded exactly the same score by the judges, meaning the public vote could not save Chambers. Chambers then won the Strictly final on Saturday in a public vote. Monday night's recording of the Christmas show did not involve a public telephone vote. It features former contestants competing against this year's top three to be named Christmas champion.

Was Rachel's Strictly loss fixed by the BBC?

THE BBC was last night under renewed fire over this year's controversy-hit series of Strictly Come Dancing after fans suggested the result was a "fix". Message boards on the show's official website have been bombarded with comments from people claiming that Tom Chambers, who stars in the BBC's Holby City, should not have won. Many said that despite trying to call repeatedly, they were unable to vote for former pop star Rachel Stevens, his main rival and eventual runner-up. The comments include accusations that the BBC wanted to ensure Chambers, 31, won the show because he works for a BBC programme. Other fans, however, have posted messages on the boards saying that they also had trouble getting through to vote for Chambers.

One comment on the programme's message board from a fan identified only as lovedancing1, under the heading "What a Fix", said: "I'm so angry, and I have never felt that at the end of Strictly. It completely ruined our whole family's enjoyment of it. It doesn't make sense, it's a fix because he is part of the BBC." Someone calling herself sensible_woman said: "Tom should've gone last week. Also I too tried to vote for Rachel, but the lines were engaged all the time whereas my friend voted for Tom twice and got through both times without any trouble." Many of the people posting messages said they would not watch the programme in future because of the problems. There were also calls for the BBC to offer refunds. A viewer called Strictlyavid said: "This fix to keep Tom in as a total farce and I will never watch another series. I want my money back, I feel thoroughly cheated."

Saturday's final saw Stevens, 30, and her dance partner, Vincent Simone, receive a total of 79 points from the judges after two rounds of dancing. Meanwhile, model and radio presenter Lisa Snowdon and dance partner Brendan Cole were awarded the maximum score of 80 after perfect tens from both their rounds, while Chambers and dance partner Camilla Dallerup came last in the first round of the show with 73 points. But Chambers and Dallerup secured a huge public vote which saw them pass through to the "dance-off" with Stevens, while Snowdon and Cole crashed out. For the final dance-off, the judge's previous scores were not taken into account and the final winner was decided purely by a public vote. Viewers' concerns about the final vote follow the controversial semi-final last week where Chambers and Dallerup came last, but because the judges' vote had tied on the top two performances, show producers changed the rules to enable all three to go through to the final. Viewers were offered phone vote refunds after the broadcaster received 1,687 e-mails and 193 calls of complaint at the decision to let all the couples stay.

A spokesman for the BBC denied that the programmed had been fixed. He said: "As you would expect with such a hugely popular show, phones lines were extremely busy. This was explained on-air and people were advised to keep trying. We have checked and there were no problems with phone lines."

Source

Rachel was 'blubbering wreck' after final

Beaten 'Strictly Come Dancing' finalist Rachel Stevens has revealed that she broke down after losing out to champion Tom Chambers on Saturday night's show. In an interview with The Sun, Stevens said that she had to leave the 'Strictly Come Dancing' studio with her fiancé Alex Bourne after Chambers and his professional dance partner Camilla Dallerup won because she was "overcome with emotion".

Stevens said: "Everything was too much. I bawled - I was a blubbering wreck. My mum said, 'You're a winner to me, I can't tell you how well you've done, you've inspired me.' Alex was the same. He took me away and gave me a hug." She continued: "I had a sixth sense Tom would do it. He has a massive fan-base out there and people love him. He was always going to do it. But to win would have been the icing on the cake. I'd have been so proud. I adore Vincent and I'd have loved to have won it for him. He is an amazing guy and I knew how much he wanted it."

More than 13m viewers in the UK watched Saturday night's final; the result has led to anger among some fans of the show, who claim that Stevens was the better dancer.

Source

The Mirror's scathing review of Strictly final

"AND so the bloke from Holby City won Strictly Come Dancing – a fitting finale to a series which has been a shambles. First, we had the John Sergeant furore – when the most popular contestant was forced to leave in case he won. This was after the judges complained because the public (knowing nothing about fleckerls) had the audacity to keep over-ruling them. Then we had last week’s fiasco – where the ludicrous voting system designed to accommodate the judges’ egos allowed the celebrity who SHOULD have gone out (“Holby City’s Tom Chambers”) to end up winning.

Apparently Stephen Hawking is trying to understand the show’s scoring system. Here’s what happened (I think). The four judges gave Brendan and Lisa’s two dances maximum points of 80 and Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone 79. Tom from Planet Holby and Camilla (not that one) were way lower with 73. This was mostly because during the foxtrot he actually stumbled. Snowdon’s 80 was converted into 3, Rachel’s 79 became 2 and Tom Whateverhisname 1.

For some reason, they then factored in last week’s invalidated points tally. “Once again, we’re sorry about this,” Brucie apologised. “But I hope that now you understand.” Not really. This gave Lisa 7, Rachel 7 and Tom 5. This was converted again to Lisa and Rachel level on 3 and Tom on 1. At this point, the public voted and for the second week in a row, the largely female audience voted for Tom – the worst dancer but the handsomest hunk. What a complete waste of time! They could have scrapped the judges’ pontificating, not bothered with last week’s scores, and just had a public vote in the first place.

Nearly everything about this show was wrong. The judges have desperately tried to make the show about ballroom dancing not “entertainment” as Len Goodman sneered. They want the show to be about them. “You have the ease of Fred Astaire, the rhythm of Gene Kelly and the posture of Daniel Craig walking out of the sea,” drooled Arlene Phillips to Mr Holby, sounding worse than Sharon Osbourne.

As for the dancing, I have no idea who was best. I thought not stumbling might be an idea – which shows you what I know. “Even the biggest stars sometimes stumble,” Bruno Oilytoni sympathised. “It happens to everyone.” Except Rachel or Lisa. Only the supposedly pithy Craig Revel Horwood mentioned Tom could look “smug” – an understated way of saying if he was chocolate, Tom would eat himself.

Highlights were few and far between. Slimy Brendan Cole’s face when he heard Tom had got a bye into the final was priceless. Kat Slater doing the Charleston to the aptly-named Help was plain hilarious. Rachel and Vincent’s rumba to Paul Weller’s You Do Something To Me was easily the best dance of the night – tarnished only by Phillips saying, “This showed something I never thought I’d see from you – great musicality”. Anyone who remembers S Club 7 will know what she meant.

Low points were: Brucie’s singing, John Sergeant returning for one last dance (again) and human vulture Gary Rhodes trying to be “sexy” doing the Hippy Hippy Shake.

The series needs a massive shake-up. The judges need to realise they have lost and change to the same system as The X Factor. Tom was no different to John Sergeant, the public’s choice – except he was a dishy doctor not a roly-poly newsreader. Oh, and they should change the name to what I thought Phil Daniels called it: Silly Come Dancing. Because that’s what it is. "

Source

Video: Rachel's final performances

Was Strictly final a sham?

Sensational final dance gives Holby star a shock victory, but some fans say it’s all a sham after last week.

Holby City hunk Tom Chambers was crowned king of Strictly Come Dancing last night after a shock comeback from last week’s controversial voting bungle. He snatched victory from rival Rachel Stevens in the final moments of last night’s show with a spectacular showdance that had the audience enraptured and won the public over. The former Holby City actor had been given the lowest score by the show’s judges for his first two dances after being allowed through to the final after last week’s fiasco. Tom humbly dedicated the win to his wife Claire and his professional dance partner Camilla Dallerup.

But the celebrations were soured by accusations from some angry fans who said the show was a sham because Tom should never have reached the final in the first place. One viewer wrote on a BBC web forum: "The BBC have bent the rules to suit themselves. He should have gone last week. Shameful!" Others threatened to boycott this week's Christmas special.

Despite the controversy, Tom was given a standing ovation by the judges before celebrating his victory with partner Camilla and delighted Claire. Tom was congratulated by runner-up Rachel Stevens before thanking viewers and his family for their support. Earlier in the evening Tom's chances had looked slim when he stumbled during his first dance. All the judges commented on the fault.

Rachel second place in Strictly final

The winner of Strictly Come Dancing was just announced and sadly it was not Rachel. Like I Dream star Matt Di Angelo last year, our S Club girl came in second place. But she was an amazing contestant, a lovely dancer and a joy to watch every week.

Rachel talks about the final, her fiance and last year's Matt/Flavia controversy

Rachel has revealed that her fiance tells her to dance as raunchily as she can. She insists Alex Bourne is not at all jealous watching the sexy routines between her and professional partner Vincent Simone on the dancefloor. Rachel told The Sun: "Luckily Alex is obsessed with the show like I am. He's been an amazing support and he and Vincent have really bonded, which is great. Because he's an actor he totally understands it's a performance. He's very secure about our relationship and tells me to be as raunchy as I can. He thinks if people believe there's something going on between me and Vincent then we're doing our job right. He's so brilliant. Not many men would be as comfortable with it, but he's great."

Last year Vincent's girlfriend of 11 years, Flavia Cacace, left him for her Strictly partner, ex-EastEnders actor Matt di Angelo. Rachel said: "I understand how that happens. You spend so much time together, you dance closely and it's very physical. Vincent and I have really bonded and he's such a lovely, warm, passionate person - he's bringing that passion out in me as well. He's a real flirt. We have so much fun."

Asked if she would be interested in Vincent if she were single, Rachel said: "Well, you never know. But I'm not: I'm soon to be a married lady. I've got a wonderful man and a wonderful dance partner, I'm double lucky."

The 30-year-old singer revealed she has loved Strictly. She said: "It's been an incredible experience. I would absolutely love to win. To come this far and to be crowned champion with Vincent, who I love, would be amazing. The best Christmas present ever. Winning would be a wonderful end to what's been such a fantastic experience. Not only have I fulfilled a childhood dream, I've made a great friend in Vincent so to see the journey through would be so incredible... If we were to win I think I would sleep with the trophy beside me!"

The Strictly Come Dancing final is on BBC One tonight (Saturday) at 6.40pm.

Rachel struggling to train; judges favour Lisa

Rachel is reportedly struggling to rehearse for Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing final after falling during training. She jarred her back following a tumble in rehearsals with partner Vincent Simone, according to The Daily Express. Rachel is said to be undergoing emergency treatment to help her get well enough to perform in Saturday's live show.

A source said: "Rachel's having emergency physio and is taking painkillers. It couldn't have come at a worse time because she's desperate to be fully fit for the final. She's been struggling with her back and all the lifts haven't helped. However, she really jarred it after falling heavily. It's a real shame."

But a BBC spokesperson said: "Rachel has always had back ache throughout the series. She hasn't fallen or anything like that. There are always a team of physios on hand to help the contestants with any problems they may have. Rachel will be performing in the final on Saturday."

Rachel is the bookmakers' favourite to win the glitter ball trophy at odds of 6/4, ahead of grand finalists Tom Chambers and Lisa Snowdon.

However judge Craig Revel Horwood predicts that Lisa will win but thinks it is going to be very close. "I had predictions and they've gone all out the window. Obviously last week was quite sort of bizarre for all of us. I guess if I'm honest, Lisa Snowdon is sort of a pretty hot contender. It depends what she does and whether they perform. I think they're all very, very equal. They all have different things. Tom is very splashy, Rachel is very technical and Lisa is like the underdog that comes up trumps each time she is under pressure."

Judge Arlene Arlene Phillips has said she prefers last year's winner Alesha Dixon to all this years finalists. She went on to blast Rachel, saying she was not a "bubbly, bouncy girl", unlike Alesha, according to The Sun. But she did admit that Rachel was just as good a dancer. However, she was nice about model and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon, saying she had improved the most and was the most likeable.

And head judge Len Goodman said that "there's no clear winner, it's just going to be fantastic!" He also said that "Rachel is equally at home with ballroom and latin and Lisa's ballroom is fantastic, maybe her latin's just slightly weaker."

Training Update

Will Rachel be fit enough to compete in the final?

Rachel has reportedly hurt her back in a fall during practice with partner Vincent Simone and is battling to be fit for Saturday. Rachel is undergoing treatment in order to be able to dance in the final. A source on the show said: "Rachel is having emergency physio and is taking pain-killers. It couldn't have come at a worse time because she's desperate to be fully fit for the final. She has been struggling with her back and all the lifts haven't helped. However, she really jarred it after falling heavily. It's a real shame."

In another twist regarding the voting controversy of the semi final, Craig Revel Horwood has spoken out blaming Len Goodman because his "mean marking" of Rachel resulted in her tying at the top with Lisa Snowdon.

Rachel supports judges decision

Rachel has refused to join criticism of Strictly Come Dancing bosses after a tie between two couples, including herself, caused chaos with the public votes. The 30-year-old star said a decision had to be made 'on the spot' after judges in the hit show awarded the same number of points to model Lisa Snowdon along with herself, and their partners. This meant that Holby City actor Tom Chambers could not be saved from the dance-off, no matter how many public votes he received. To avoid this, Strictly bosses decided to allow all three couples to go through to the final.

Asked to comment, Rachel said: "I think some decisions had to be made on the spot, I think that is what happened." She added that she was 'thrilled' and ‘over the moon’ to be in the final. She said: "I am so excited to be in the final. It has been the most incredible experience, I have loved it. And to think that we have come this far and there are three couples in the final, I think it is going to be really exciting. I think it has been a really unpredictable show so 'watch this space', who knows what will happen?" She added that she was very grateful for all the support she has received over the past six months.

Strictly Come Dancing Week 13 - Semi Final

In the semi-final, each couple performed an Argentine Tango and their favourite dance of the series (but with new music and choreography). Rachel and Vincent chose the American Smooth.

Rachel and Vincent danced the Argentine Tango to When Doves Cry by Prince. After last weeks' stunning Tango, expectations were running high, and the couple didn't disappoint. Arlene said: "This dance is about longing and yearning. You connected, and the yearning and burning was so hot, it was burning a hole in the floor." Len thought: "A technical tour-de-force. So precise. It could have done with a little bit more of a dramatic edge." Bruno enthused: "It was incredible, at moments you seemed to morph into a sensual being with four legs. Talk about caressing the floor, your feet were kissing the floor. The sequences were so difficult, and executed with such finesse and ease, it was superb. Craig mused: "What is difficult about this dance is maintaining that connection and stillness of body, while the downstairs is going mad. And you did that absolutely brilliantly. Once again they were given 39 points.



Rachel and Vincent danced an American Smooth to Mandy by Barry Manilow. Rachel has confessed to being desperate to make it into the final, and a good performance here could seal it for her. Arlene had high praise: "If ever there's a return to Hollywood movies, Rachel is our Ginger Rogers." Len said: "As a performance, I liked it very much. And I liked the lifts. But it was just wandering around the floor and doing a few steps." Bruno felt: "For me it had the quality of the most beautiful dreams... you've always been a great dancer, and you'll be a great performer too." Craig added: "It was gorgeous, and I loved it." They scored 36 points for this dance.



With Rachel and Lisa both getting 75 points from the judges, the audience vote was unable to save anyone from the dance-off. So it was decided to put all the couples through. Viewers were assured their votes would be included in next Saturday's final.

Strictly Come Dancing Week 13 - Rehearsals

Rachel and Vincent arrived at training buoyed by their record-breaking weekend, which saw them achieve Strictly's highest-ever Tango score. But with two dances to conquer this week, including the tricky Argentine Tango, it was straight back to hard work.

Vincent spent most of the morning walking Rachel through their Argentine Tango routine and although it's taking shape, there are a number of difficult lifts which still require a lot more work.

Despite their high spirits, Rachel and Vincent are feeling the pressure of being in the final three. After three months of constant training and performances the strain is showing on their bodies - almost every move today seemed to be causing them pain!

But our pocket rockets know they can't afford to let up, as both are worried about living up to Vincent's reputation as a master of the Argentine Tango. Even with this added pressure the couple remained cheerful and the bond between them was clear, with lots of hugs and smiles.

Source: BBC

Strictly Come Dancing Week 12 - Quarter Finals

Rachel and Vincent were back at the top of the judges leaderboard this week with a total of 76 points (out of 80).

Their first dance was a Tango to 'Here Comes The Rain Again' by The Eurythmics. The couple are hoping to nail this difficult dance, and Rachel realises it would be a dream get through to next week's semi final. Arlene said: "this dance needs to be full of drama and emotion... and my goodness did you have it, it quite possibly is the most erotic Tango I've ever seen!" Len thought: "...I loved the light and shade of it, then all that sharp Staccatos... and the musical interpretation... I wish I had (a score of) 11 - it was fantastic!" Bruno said: "this is one of the rare times when the music, dance and the dancer is indistinguishable... it sent chills down my spine. Tango terrific!" Craig felt: "I have to commend you on the choreography. But two things I spotted, your (Rachel's) displaced balance and your kick ball changes were slightly ahead." Score: Craig 9, Arlene 10, Len 10, Bruno 10. Total 39.



They later returned for a Cha Cha to 'Signed Sealed Delivered' by Stevie Wonder. With the judges feeling Rachel is a very technical performer, can she show them her emotional side? Arlene said: "well we waited a long time, but that performance sparkled!" Len felt "two fantastic dances, well done!" Bruno said: "you are a great dancer!" Craig added: "compact, tight, absolutely gorgeous!" Score: Craig 9, Arlene 9, Len 9, Bruno 10. Total 37.

Strictly Come Dancing Week 12 - Rehearsals

Rachel and Vincent eased in to their session by running through the Cha Cha they had finished learning the day before. Both seemed in high spirits and it was clear that the duo are really enjoying this particular routine despite the events of the weekend, where they were in the dance off.

Rachel seemed confident and relaxed, possibly even more so than Vincent, who seemed concerned about moving on to the Tango, and revealed he'd been up until 2am trying to perfect it! And it was obvious from the offset that Vincent was keen to get as much done as possible. On a couple of occasions he caught himself being jumpy and said he needed to be more patient, but he was itching for Rachel to pick up the dance very quickly. Luckily for Vincent, Rachel was on top form and seemed to love the Tango as much as the Cha Cha.

Despite Vincent's concerns, the Tango seemed to progress well, with only the odd wobble when Vincent declared: "I'm struggling Rachel" in reference to remembering the choreography. For the most part Vincent seemed pleased with Rachel's dancing and regularly said: "take me to the final Rachel, take me to the final".

It appears that Saturday's dance off has impacted on Vincent more that Rachel. Rachel knows it's not an ideal scenario but seems to have come back into the training room with some fire in her belly and a renewed determination to do her best and, most importantly, make Vincent proud.

Source: BBC

Strictly Come Dancing Week 11

In week 11 each couple performed two dances. Rachel and Vincent performed a Waltz and a Paso Doble. They were awarded 39 points out of 40 (three perfect 10s) for their Waltz to 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan. But after receiving a full house of 10s last week, Rachel was feeling the pressure of setting the standard. Len said that watching their performance he "felt like the cat who got the cream, and you looked like the mice that got the cheese. Lovely." Bruno thought Rachel "looked like an angel, danced like an angel. You're a natural, glowing." Despite thinking that Vincent's choreography was a bit stop-starty, Craig said Rachel made "beautiful shapes. Brilliant." While Arlene said: "That was one of the most soul-tingling waltz we have seen on Strictly."



Their second dance was a Paso Doble to Europe's 'Final Countdown'. Bruno was pleased Rachel had gone "from angel to devil. Senorita, you could have any bull you want! A great dance." Craig liked "all the hand shaping but it needed more aggression." Arlene thought it was "very dramatic, thrilling. But the body language wasn't there for me." And Len went further: "I was disappointed. Too much messing about with the cape and not enough content." They were awarded 32 points in total.



Rachel and Vincent earned an overall total of 71 points, putting them in 3rd place (out of 5 couples) on the judges leaderboard. Unfortunately the public were not as impressed as the judges and once again Rachel and Vincent were one of the two lowest scoring couples. They performed their waltz again in the dance-off and the judges unanimously chose to save Rachel.

Rachel later revealed that she expected to be in the dance-off. Speaking to Claudia Winkleman on 'It Takes Two' she said: "It's absolutely horrible. It's really horrible. But we were more prepared. We had a feeling that we were going to be there. I think every week, no matter where you are in the leaderboard, you're never safe. You need the votes more than anything now."