Ore Oduba wowed audiences when he took part in Strictly Come Dancing alongside former professional Joanne Clifton in 2016 and the pair eventually went on to lift the iconic Glitterball trophy.
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Now, the TV presenter and performer has opened up to HELLO! Insider about the pressure the current celebrities are facing, and who out of the 2021 contestants need to up their game ahead of week eight in the BBC ballroom. Watch our Strictly Insider with Ore Oduba below…
WATCH: HELLO! Insider chats to former champion Ore Oduba
Chatting to HELLO!, the former winner reacted to Adam Peaty and Katya Jones' exit from the competition. He also explained how, as each week goes on, the dance-offs get tougher to call, meaning the stakes are raised even higher for the contestants.
"It does add pressure. I was even thinking about Giovanni and Rose last week, not only were they at the top, but they were perfect, and that is so huge to be in that place. I loved their Samba [this week], but naturally just [because] of how the show is built and the results show, you've been at 40 and then you're in that position where you could be in the dance-off.
"And you think, 'The red light could be on me at any second', within a week. And that is the state of play at the moment, because it is that competitive.
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Ore was crowned Strictly champion in 2016
"But all you can do is focus on yourself, because everything else is out of your control. You just have to trust in your process. It's part of the process, some deal with it better than others, and some have mistakes in the dance-off but it is competitive at the bottom and the top."
Discussing whether any celebrities need to up their game this week, Ore added: "Obviously if you're in the dance-off, Tilly and Nikita, you're going to feel like you need to do more to get more votes. They all appreciate getting the votes, and you think [to yourself], 'How is it that I can do more, to stay in this competition?'"
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