Ex-Strictly pro says stars should fake it after live show slip-up

Strictly: Jowita Przystal says Hamza Yassin was 'unwell'

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Strictly Come Dancing enters Week Five and the competition is heating up with the couples starting to get whittled down as the contenders really emerge. This year, there have been quite a few mistakes during the live shows with Loose Women panellist Kaye Adams making some missteps in her first dance, while favourite Will Mellor previously said his “mind went blank” during his opening dance.

Former Strictly pro Kristina Rihanoff has spoken about some of the errors on the show.

She said: “Oh gosh, those are a very tricky moments and I’ve been there with my celebrities when they’ve made mistakes as well.

“We have a saying in our world, ‘Fake it until you make it.’ You kind of have to fake it and I suppose you teach them to cover it up, not really worry about, not really showing that and just literally try your best not to get distracted by it.”

She went on to say: “I know it’s classic to sort of think, ‘Oh gosh, I’ve done a mistake.’ But sometimes people don’t know it’s a mistake.

“If you cover it up really well, you just have to cover it up, pretend it’s meant to be there.”

Kristina, who was part of the BBC series from 2008 to 2015, added: “I talk to my children when they dance as well, I do exactly the same.”

Interestingly, Kristina said the biggest missteps wasn’t a specific move, explaining: “I think the most common mistake is they take themselves too seriously and put a lot of pressure on themselves.

“It can sometimes overshadow the joy of being on that wonderful show.”

Kristina said her favourite celebrity partner on the show was veteran BBC correspondent John Sargeant because he was the only star who went onto the show to enjoy himself.

She explained: “Let’s go and do the dance. I guess people say he’s not good but he just wanted to have a good time and it wasn’t about winning and be the best.

“He was just like, ‘Let’s have a good time on the show’ and he wasn’t taking himself too seriously and this is the correct approach.”

She went on to say: “Because they are all stepping into a very unknown world for themselves – most of them.

“Some of them, of course, went to stage school, maybe they’ve had some performances that would be able to hold themselves well.

“But for a lot of them, it’s unknown territory like sportsmen and TV presenters.”

On her top tip for avoiding errors: “So, I think the best advice is: really enjoy the process. It’s a one of a kind experience.

“There is nothing like that and you don’t want to remember that experience by being stressed all the time.”

Since departing from Strictly, Kristina said she had missed her fellow pros but has now found her calling and keeping her hand in the dance world with her own school Bespoke Ballroom, which teaches the art of dance to children.

However, she admitted she’d always be happy to return to Strictly as a judge and offer up kernels of wisdom from her own time on the show.

This week the stars are going to be performing their dances to iconic TV show themes to mark the BBC 100, celebrating a century of the broadcaster.

Among the tracks, is the Doctor Who theme, the Grange Hill theme, the EastEnders theme as well as the Grandstand and Line of Duty themes.

There will be a special week of programming this month which celebrates the esteemed history of the corporation.

The BBC was first created on October 18, 1922 with the first transmission taking place on November 14, 1922 with the first programme broadcast being a news bulletin.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One on Saturday at 6.40pm

For information about Kristina Rihanoff’s dance school, please visit www.bespokeballroom.com

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