Strictly’s Vick Hope hints that she was axed from the show because head judge Shirley Ballas hates her
The DJ and radio presenter could have been saved by Shirley when she had the casting vote, but instead was sent home
AXED Strictly Come Dancing star Vick Hope has suggested she got the boot from the show because judge Shirley Ballas “hates” her.
The Capital FM presenter and her partner, Graziano Di Prima, left the contest after Sunday night’s dance off against Seann Walsh and Katya Jones.
Craig Revel Horwood was the only panel member who voted to save Vick, and head judge Shirley could have kept her in the competition as she had the casting vote.
But on Saturday she’d already launched a scathing critique of her performance, and Vick, 29, yesterday hinted it was down to her taking an instant dislike to her.
After returning to the station’s breakfast show yesterday, her co-host Roman Kemp said: “I didn’t see it live last night, I was on the plane, I came back, I landed, my mum called me saying: ‘Why does Shirley Ballas hate Vick Hope?”’
Vick replied: “I wish I knew.”
After Roman asked if the hatred was genuine, she added: “I think I’ve got to be careful what I say here, because you never know what someone’s thinking.
“It was from week one that people were suggesting there was something there, I don’t know. It’s been consistent and Saturday night I really felt it was just weird.
“I’ve not really been spoken to like that. She relished in it.”
Vick was beaten in the dance off when her cha cha with Graziano, 24, failed to impress the judges, particularly Shirley, 58.
She said: “It took 16 bars before you started to do anything that was recognisable of cha cha.
“I’m not disputing that you didn’t try extremely hard, but for me it lacked body action, it lacked facial expression.”
Vick also hinted that her departure might have been a fix by producers.
She said: “After the dance off, then the judges have to give their decisions, but there was a bit of a conflab with some producers and then they gave their decisions. It was just stunned silence in the studio - it was a really weird atmosphere.”
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