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Strictly Speaking – James and Ola: Everyone has upped their game, how Neil would have reacted to Motsi's comment and why AJ and Saffron didn't get four tens

Find out James and Ola's thoughts on Strictly week eight

TV & Film Editor
November 10, 2019

James and Ola Jordan have just a few more months before welcoming their first child together, and Ola has revealed that the baby hormones are starting to get to her. "[James] annoys me when he breathes," she joked. "He's very good but I'm just on edge all the time, it's really weird!" She also chatted about the pair's shopping plans for the baby, explaining: "I haven't bought anything. I just said to James that we need to hurry up! I just think it's so easy to go out and buy stuff now so I just need to do it. I don't know what to get to be honest, how much do you need?" James added: "Yeah I saw a thing the other day to get the baby's snot out of their nose, and it's something you just don't think about that - I wouldn't think about that!" Of course, the pair still had plenty of time to settle in and watch Saturday night's episode of Strictly Come Dancing - so find out what they thought about the episode here...

James: I would actually say that it's been the best week so far! Overall, I think everyone really lifted their game, apart from Karim because Karim is already so bloody good, week in and week out. He was still great, but the dance just didn't suit him and he made a couple of mistakes. He was the only one who wasn't as good as previous weeks. The music choices were a lot better, the costumes were great, overall it was all a lot better.

Ola: Of course, he did get a bit upset when he didn't do that well didn't he?

James: It was funny! In a way I do understand though, you work all week.

Ola: You work so hard, for so many hours! You pour your heart and soul into it and when you mess up on the night it's so hard isn't it? You're gutted.

James: Absolutely. And it would be quite easy for people at home to say, 'Oh it's just a dancing show. It doesn't mean that much. There are a lot more things that are happening in the world.' But when you are in it and you've put all those hours in each week, and you get one shot live on TV, it does mean a lot to you! When I did Dancing on Ice there were a couple of weeks where I made mistakes. I'm not going to bawl my eyes out about it even though inside you're upset with yourself. I couldn't help but laugh last night. No one's died! He messed up a couple of steps so when he started crying, as a bloke, I found it a bit funny.

Ola: Did you see Gorka trying not to laugh? I was just looking at him laughing from behind Karim! I was like, 'Look at him!'

James: Shall we talk about the other performances? What did you make of Mike and Katya, Ola?

Ola: Mike was alright, not amazing. A bit awkward. I could see how much hard work he put into it, and that's the most important thing. It's a different dance than what we've seen him do before. He still did very well and you could see how Katya has pushed him, but in comparison to the others, it's not good enough, but then again the others have had dance training, you can tell!

James: Yeah, people were comparing him to others who have had dance training. I mean, sure compare him to Chris or even Alex, since they're the only three that haven't had dance training. Maybe they need to make it more clear to the public who has had dance training and who hasn't. You only have three people in the competition who haven't had dance training. Alex, Chris and Mike. In the last few weeks I have felt really sorry for Mike because he's been getting a lot of grief on Twitter. It's so unnecessary because when he's been saved by the judges, he's been better. Whatever anyone says, people can say what they want. Well, I'm a dance expert, I'm telling you, it's not opinion it's the fact! He was better. And then he gets threats and things like that and people saying that he shouldn't be in the competition. That can't be nice for the guy.

Ola: I actually think in the last couple of weeks he hasn't enjoyed it as much. Like, 'I don't want to be here if people don't want me to be here.'

James: They've ruined his experience, which is such a shame. I reckon this week he'll be in the bottom two, and Chris deserves to be there too. Mike isn't getting that much public support but he has deserved his place up until this point. Whatever anyone says. The only person who was robbed was Dev. Every other week it's been spot on.

Ola: I agree that it should be Mike and Chris in the bottom two, but I don't think Chris will be. Chris and Karen had great music, they had the flames which look wicked. During the whole thing, from beginning to end, you thought, 'Wow this is going to be amazing', but then you look at his dance and go, 'Okay that wasn't that great'. People at home would watch them and go, 'Oh my god that was wicked'. People don't look at the steps and the technique but we try to go past the flames and so on and look at the footwork.

James: He's never danced before, but he's got an amazing personality. I definitely think because he doesn't take himself too seriously people kind of find that refreshing, rather than crying and playing the sympathy card. You know he's really really excited about getting a five which I kind of don't believe but anyway he's just a breath of fresh air, having a laugh, getting on with it. When I saw the flames I thought, 'Wow, they're not going anywhere!'

Ola: We've seen the show for so many years now and we've been part of it so we know how it works. When I saw the flames I thought, 'They've got everything in that!' It helps, it massively helps! But he is one of the non-dancers so you can't compare him to Kelvin or Karim really. Who else can we talk about? Emma was good this week!

MORE: Ola Jordan displays blossoming baby bump alongside husband James at Pride of Britain

James: I expected Emma to be good because she toured with Chicago. I'm a purist. Strictly is supposed to be about Ballroom and Latin and I go on about and I actually bore myself. Unless it's exceptional, when they do the couple's choice dance, I find it kind of boring unless it blows me away. When you do those dances, there's no actual technique. If you do something like a Foxtrot, all the ballroom dance, we've got certain techniques technique that we look out for. There is nowhere near as much difficulty as you'd have with other dances, like the Foxtrot. I thought the music was great, the costumes were great, the choreography was great, but I'm not going to remember it.

Ola: What about the other performances? Saffron and AJ's dance was amazing.

James: It was exceptional. For me, it was all tens. It deserved four tens from the beginning to the end. I actually put on my Twitter that there was a lot of [rubbish] at the beginning, but it kind of worked! You're supposed to have ten seconds at the beginning of the routine or the middle or the end, then you're supposed to get in frame. It was a long time before they got in frame but I kind of liked that as well. I'm normally a stickler for the rules and everything but I just felt the whole dance was beautiful. She looked stunning, her footwork was fluid, her posture was good. For me, I think that she's arrived. Up until now she hasn't blown me away and to be honest I expected her to because she's young, and being younger helps! They look great together, young people move different, as you get older it gets more difficult. I thought they were amazing last night.

Ola: So why wasn't it four tens?

James: They have to wait for Blackpool, don't they. It's always the first four tens at Blackpool. I've done the show for so many years, it's almost boringly predictable. It's stupid! You should give four tens if someone deserves four tens! Speaking of, I know people were saying that Kelvin and Oti should have got four tens this week, but their performance wasn't as good as Saffron and AJ's. Was it amazing? Yes but people get blown away with the music, it's a fast dance, it's fun. You can't compare the execution of that to what Saffron did. You're there as a judge to mark the dance, you can prefer the dancing of Kelvin, I get that because it's a fast, fun dance, but you're comparing a Waltz with a Salsa. It's impossible to do! Technicality wise, the execution of the Waltz was better than Kelvin's execution. It's not a ten, straight away, but as a performance it blows you away, I thought it was amazing.

Ola: Who else do we still need to talk about? Oh, Neil is back with Alex.

James: Yes, amazing news! I'm very happy he's back. He's a very clever boy, brilliant choreographer, and I thought they did a great job. She's a non-dancer and I think he's done miracles with her. At the beginning if you saw my tweets I was actually quite mean because she was terrible.

READ: James Jordan reveals cheeky way he likes to wind up wife Ola Jordan

Ola: Before people say that it was Kevin who made her improve over the last two weeks, Kevin who helped. No! Neil was still there choreographing with her.

James: He's done a brilliant job with her. I mean that choreography that she did last night, bearing in mind she's a non-dancer, it was actually quite difficult. So yeah, I'm really happy they're back together. I like that partnership, and she's improved massively from the first show. I'd say she's had the biggest improvement.

Ola: I still can't believe Motsi's comment about the affair.

James: Maybe she didn't know what's happening! We had to rewind it and I nearly weed myself! It was so awkward. People are saying, 'Oh she obviously didn't know what she was saying,' and I'm sure she didn't realise what she was saying, but when she said it you could see in her face that she knew what she had said! It was just Neil's face for me! He was trying not to laugh. I've known him for over 20 years and I know inside he was laughing. He's got a great sense of humour, Neil is a very funny guy. He wouldn't take it as a diss from Motsi. I think it's funny!

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