Nadiya Bychkova hits out at experienced Strictly Come Dancing Contestants
Nadiya Bychkova has hit out at experienced celebrity dancers taking part in Strictly Come Dancing and insisted the show should be about "people who have never danced".
Nadiya Bychkova has hit out at experienced celebrity dancers taking part in Strictly Come Dancing.
The 36-year-old professional dancer - who is partnered with former England rugby player Chris Robshaw - has insisted the show should be about "people who have never danced" so the audience can see how they progress over time.
She told The Sun newspaper: “We often don’t see it because people who don’t have experience would sometimes leave the show earlier, which is really sad as there’s so much talent.
“It’s nice for the audience to see that it’s possible to learn, but you do need to put in the work, which Chris is doing every day."
The show has faced criticism after West End star Amber Davies was brought in to replace injured Dani Dyer, while former Billy Elliot star Lewis Cope has also been accused of having an unfair advantage.
And Nadiya insisted those with "any kind" of performance experience have an advantage over other contestants.
She said: “In this situation, it’s not only Chris, it’s any contestant who didn’t have any experience, not just dance — it’s any kind of performance experience.
“When you’re trained to be in the moment, to tell the story, you know how to show something — that helps a lot.
“Chris is taking all the information on board — he just needs a few more weeks to get to the point.
“It’s the experience of knowing how to do that which is completely new and you can’t get overnight.”
The Ukrainian believes her dance partner has what it takes to make it to the final.
Asked if she thinks Chris could finish in the top four, she said: “Absolutely yes. But that’s far — there are 12 weeks to go.”
The sportsman's wife, Camilla Kerslake, has also hit out at the differing levels of experience the contestants have.
She shared photof of Chris on his Strictly debut and wrote on Instagram: "Proud forever. Up against people with years of experience when you've never even done a 2 step, opening the whole season and starting with one of the hardest dances going.(sic)"
However, she hopes she hasn't affected his chances on the show.
She told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: "I hope my big mouth won't get Chris in the bottom two."
