Strictly’s James Jordan reveals which contestants on this year’s show have professional dance training and why he thinks the judges are tougher on women

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James Jordan, a former professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, has shared which contestants on the current season have experience with formal dance training.

This year’s competition has sparked some controversy, with West End performer Amber Davies, 29, receiving criticism for her background in dance. However, James points out that she’s not alone – many of the contestants have significant professional dance experience.

As a longtime Strictly viewer, I’ve always been amazed by James’s eye for talent. After eight years on the show himself, he’s become incredibly skilled at spotting a dancer’s background just by watching the celebrities perform on Saturday nights. He just knows who has training!

He thinks actress Alex Kingston, 62, is a strong contender, having already scored the highest marks and even received a kiss from head judge Shirley Ballas.

He believes Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope, age 30, and YouTuber George Clarke, 25, may have danced before. He’s come to this conclusion because their performances are more complicated than those of some of the other competitors on the show.

James told the Daily Mail that Alex clearly has a lot of experience, which was obvious during her rumba performance last week. Both she and her partner, Johannes, received high praise for their impressive dance.

James pointed out that many of the show’s contestants are experienced dancers. Even though Alex’s rumba with Johannes last week wasn’t perfect, it’s clear he’s had dance training.

I can definitively say she hasn’t had any dance training. As a professional dancer myself, I can easily tell the difference between someone who has and hasn’t been trained.

‘So, there’s Amber who has had dance training, Lewis, George, I don’t know, but I assume he has. 

You’ll notice some of the contestants haven’t had formal dance training. For instance, Lewis is doing moves that we, as professional dancers back in the day – me, Brendan Cole, Vincent Simone, Ian Waite, and Pasha Kovalev – couldn’t even do when we were touring.

He’s a skilled dancer, capable of movements most people aren’t. But then you get someone who struggles with even simple things like clapping along to the beat, because they have no sense of rhythm.

James acknowledges that celebrities who’ve had professional dance training bring a clear advantage to Strictly Come Dancing compared to contestants with no prior performance experience.

He pointed out that people with dance training will have a significant edge, no matter what others think.

The judges frequently state that the public’s vote carries significant weight – it makes up half of the final decision. However, if a contestant is consistently at the top of the rankings, it’s very difficult for them to end up in the bottom two and face elimination.

I really believe that when a contestant doesn’t have a dance background and is struggling on the leaderboard, the votes from the audience are absolutely crucial for them to stay in the competition. Public support can really make all the difference!

When a truly talented dancer faces elimination, the judges will almost certainly save them. This means having strong skills significantly increases a contestant’s chances of staying in the competition.

There are a lot more dancers on ‘Strictly’ now who have had formal training compared to when I competed.

These days, Strictly contestants are often professional dancers – they’ve either taught dance or performed in West End shows for a long time. This means it’s not really a fair competition, but that’s also part of what makes the show so enjoyable.

I’m not criticizing anyone with a dance background, and it’s great if you have that training. However, I think appearing on the show with prior dance experience might lead to negative reactions, simply because it gives you an unfair advantage.

James, the entertainment betting expert at Freebets.com, believes that the judges on Strictly Come Dancing tend to be harsher when evaluating the female contestants, based on his observations of the show.

Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke, and Shirley Ballas are the judges on the show. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who recently announced they’ll be leaving after this series, are the hosts.

He noticed a strange pattern: the girls were consistently singled out, but the boys weren’t criticized for taking dance lessons. He couldn’t understand why this happened.

The reason for the issues is simple: women are envious of each other’s success. And, while attractive, well-trained male dancers are also part of the situation, we don’t acknowledge that aspect of it.

James shared that he understands what it’s like to be targeted by online criticism. He remembered when he and Denise Van Outen were both criticized for their dance experience during their time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.

He explained that harsh comments can hurt a contestant’s confidence and make them feel like the audience isn’t behind them.

He mentioned experiencing negative feedback only once, and he acknowledged it was understandably disheartening for everyone involved in the collaboration.

It feels really discouraging when you believe people dislike you and aren’t on your side. It’s a tough blow, and you’re starting to worry that success might actually be a problem.

Audiences only see the final performance, not all the hard work behind it. When I trained with Denise, we often practiced for 10 to 12 hours each day to prepare.

We were pushing ourselves in training because there was a lot of pressure to perform well. Once people realize you’re a professionally trained dancer and you start performing, they expect consistently outstanding performances every time.

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2025-10-25 13:19