I was on Strictly and I know the ‘real reason’ judges saved Zara McDermott despite one of the worst foxtrots ever
STRICTLY legend Brendan Cole has revealed the “real reason” why Zara McDermott keeps surviving the elimination despite her “poor” dancing abilities.
Last week Zara and her professional partner Graziano di Prima showcased an American Smooth to Can’t Fight The Moonlight by LeAnn Rimes, both aiming to impress the judges and secure their spot in the competition.
But the pair only scored 28 from the judges, with the panel awarding seven points each.
Brendan, 47, who starred on the BBC One dance programme from 2004 until 2018, alluded that Zara has remained on the competition because of her huge social media following.
“I’m led to believe she [Zara McDermott] has got a tonne of followers across her various social media platforms,” Brendan explained.
“The judges will like that, and the show will like that, because they always want to attract a younger audience.
“Every year, we have a YouTube star or an Instagram influencer and it’s great for the show, as it’ll mean more followers for the show and everything is measured by how many Instagram followers you have these days.
“So the cynical side of me says they are going to keep Zara [McDermott] around because it means more interest in the show.”
The New Zealand ballroom dancer said the romantic numbers could also be a cause for concern.
Brendan told Sky Bingo: “They look very pretty to watch and every number they’ve had has been a romantic story.
“I’m sure their real-life partners are miffed that they have to keep watching the two of them get close to each other during their numbers.
“It’s lovely for the show and it’s lovely for the viewers to see that romance, but at the end of it, the dance is still poor.
“That was one of the worst Foxtrot’s we’ve seen on the show, even if it looked pretty, so I’m not sure why they were saved.
“I would 100% have saved Eddie [Kadi], but all four judges voted for him to go home, so maybe they saw something that I didn’t.”
Zara and Graziano will be performing the Charleston to ‘Jeepers Creepers’ by Al Donahue & His Orchestra for the Halloween special.
Some fans think Zara’s time on the show is up.
“Yeah, Zara is absolutely fooooked. There are some latin/faster dances I could see her pulling off, but a Charleston is not one of them,” one wrote on a Reddit thread.
Another said: “Zara and Angela R have done very well to avoid party Latin since week 1 but they can’t avoid it forever so whichever one lasts longest-Angela R-is going to have a lot of it left for the second half of the series.
“I’m not sure either of them have even got the gusto for great Charleston’s either,” they continued.
A third wrote: “Zara Charleston (scared face emoji) good luck to her”.