STAGE ACT
Shayne Ward hits back after Strictly fans branded him ‘insufferable’ as he insists he’s not ‘cocky’
Watch Shayne's samba routine in the video above
STRICTLY star Shayne Ward has hit back after viewers branded him "cocky".
The X Factor winner and actor, 39, got off to a steady start with professional partner Nancy Xiu, scoring 21 for their samba to Stevie Wonder's Do I Do.
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There was no shortage of stage presence from former Coronation Street favourite Shayne, who gave lots of hip action and facial expressions in his sparkly outfit.
But it was all a bit too much for some Strictly fans with some branding him "overconfident" on social media.
Shayne took to Instagram last night to assure fans that couldn't be further from the truth.
Accompanied by a moody black and white photo, Shayne said: "Strictly is amazing and I love being part of it.
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"But through my smile on TV I'm as nervous as the next person.
"Not cocky or overconfident... I'm nervous!
"I just gotta work hard and listen to my wonderful teacher Nancy Xiu. All I can do is my best!"
His steamy routine and 70s styling surprisingly left some fans a little cold.
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One person wrote on X: "The overconfidence is actually something I'm not enjoying about Shayne right now.
Strictly fans call the winner already after incredible first dance
"No question, he's good but he's NOT the master of all things dance.”
Another critic said: “Find someone who loves you as much as Shayne Ward loves himself.”
And another person simply said: "He's insufferable."
However, others relished his snake-hipped enthusiasm.
One Shayne fan said: “Week one, smashed it.”
Another agreed, saying: “For week one he totally smashed it, he will let negative comments go over his head and he will prove them wrong as the weeks go on.”
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Shayne’s wife, actress Sophie Austin, was seen proudly clapping in the audience alongside her dad, Austin.
The Manchester-born star won the second series of The X Factor in 2005, beating Andy Abraham, who finished second, and Journey South, who took third.
He then won a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco label and released several successful singles.
Shayne's biggest hits include That's My Goal; his debut single reached number one in the UK.
Another popular track is No Promises, which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.
His song Breathless from his second album was also a big hit and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Shayne won a National Television Award in 2006 for Most Popular Talent Show for his win on The X Factor.
He later took on the role of Staycee Jaxx in the '80s musical Rock of Ages in the West End.
TELLY SUCCESS
After his successful music career, Shayne ventured into acting.
He joined the cast of Corrie as bad boy Aidan Connor in August 2015 – the half-brother of Carla (later revealed in a dramatic storyline), who owned knicker factory, Underworld, at the time.
His character quickly became known as a ladies' man, something which came back to haunt him in a complicated love triangle between Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley).
In a typically dramatic conclusion to the storyline, Aidan felt the wrath of Eva as she went "full bunny boiler" on the discovery of his affair with a devious plot to sabotage their wedding day.
Strictly 2024 Week One Scoreboard
Here's how the first week scoreboard looked:
- JB and Amy = 31
- Tasha and Aljaz = 30
- Sarah and Vito = 30
- Wynne and Katya = 26
- Montell and Johannes = 26
- Shayne and Nancy = 23
- Jamie and Michelle = 23
- Chris and Dianne = 23
- Sam and Nikita = 21
- Dr Punam and Gorka = 19
- Tom and Nadiya = 18
- Nick and Luba = 18
- Pete and Jowita = 17
- Paul and Karen = 17
- Toyah and Neil = 12
He bagged two gongs for Best Newcomer in 2016 – one at the National Television Awards and another at the Inside Soap awards.
But in 2018 his on-screen character died when he committed suicide.
Shayne has been in a relationship with Hollyoaks actress Sophie since 2016.
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The couple got engaged in 2017 but postponed their wedding day during the coronavirus pandemic.
Together, they have two children, Willow born in 2017 and son Reign, who was born in June 2022.
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