A potential Strictly Come Dancing "feud" has been exposed as fans spot a professional dancer’s “unimpressed” look after discovering their celebrity partner.
The long-awaited return of the BBC One show was celebrated on Saturday night, as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman tried to move on from the scandal that surrounded the show earlier this year. To mark the launch show of the 22nd series, each celebrity discovered their dance partner, with JB Gill teaming up with returning pro Amy Dowden, and Pete Wicks being partnered with former champ Jowita Przystał.
However, some eagle-eyed viewers claimed one of the professional dancers “struggled to look happy” when they met their celebrity partner. As Karen Hauer was unveiled as ex-footballer Paul Merson’s teammate, many fans speculated she looked less than impressed. “Wow Karen was struggling to look happy when she met Paul,” one wrote on a Reddit thread, as another added: “I really wish Karen had been benched instead of Lauren this year. It feels unfair that she’s had a partner every year but her enthusiasm for the show seems to get lower and lower each year. She came across as really rude.”
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Others took to Twitter/X to share their feelings about the lacklustre partnership, with one tweeting: “Paul Merson doesn't want to be partnered with Karen lol I can see another Will Young exit type lol #Strictly2024.” The duo’s first meeting was left until the end of Saturday’s show, and Paul was asked what he thought about being partnered with Karen. “I'm pleased, I'm very pleased,” he remarked, as Karen joked about his lack of enthusiasm: “Hey! Give me a smile.”
When Claudia chatted to the couples in the studio, some viewers pointed out that Paul looked miserable as he spoke about working with Karen. “Paul, you're with our longest serving pro - the unbelievable Karen. How happy are you?” she asked, as Paul quietly replied: “Yeah, well pleased. The two oldest together,” as the audience erupted into laughter.
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Paul reportedly signed up to the show in July, and in August, he was confirmed as one of the star-studded line-up for this year’s Strictly. “Joining Strictly is a whole new ball game for me, but I’m going to tackle this challenge head on. I’m ready to swap the pitch for the Ballroom floor, so here’s hoping my two left feet can learn some moves and you never know, maybe I’ll be taking home the Glitterball Trophy!” he joked.
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