Kym Marsh opened up on how much time she really gets to rehearse ahead of Strictly Come Dancing's weekly live show after fans claimed she was 'undermarked' on Saturday night. The former Coronation Street star was back in the ballroom with Graziano Di Prima after landing in the dreaded dance-off last week.
The 46-year-old presenter, actress and former Hear’Say singer and her Italian dance partner closed the special show and danced the Quickstep to Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz. The song was chosen to celebrate the BBC’s centenary and was previously featured on Strictly’s predecessor show Come Dancing.
Their performance was opened by Angela Rippon, one of the original presenters of Come Dancing, before the couple took to the dancefloor for a high-octane routine in flamboyant outfits. However, Kym appeared disappointed as she and Graziano secured a score of 27 leaving them in the bottom end of the leaderboard.
While Motsi Mabuse said the routine was like a "ray of sunshine coming in" as she praised their look but noted she saw uncertainty in Kym's eyes, Anton Du Beke added that her performance lacked some of her usual confidence. Head judge Shirley Ballas argued the performance lacked 'stamina' and that it 'wasn't her best dance'.
But Craig Revel Horwood disagreed, saying: "I thought you came out absolutely confident. Your frame needs work, we all know that but I thought the footwork was clean and, as Anton said, you flew around that floor, well done." And the critiques left Strictly fans flocking to social media to comment.
@spongebobmarc said: " I know I'm not the only one saying this but WELL UNDERMAKED!! Why keep mentioning her confidence as that knocks confidence even more!" @madalaineredman commented: "No wonder Kim’s not feeling confident with those scores! Another one undermarked!" @emily.shortman echoed: "Defo under-marked but she was under lots of pressure to get this right - but I think she did."
@shellunderwood2020 shared: " I liked it. Not sure what judges saw, I thought she looked super confident." @jayneduranduran10 posted: "Amazing under marked again wow what is the judges problem with them. So unfair." @willsparsons added: "Sooo undermarked I’m so angry about it."
While practicing for the dance show, Kym has also been working on Morning Live on BBC One with former 2007 Strictly contestant Gethin Jones and a revival of the school drama Waterloo Road while being a mother to four children and grandmother to three. Speaking about her tough schedule, she said: “It’s quite tricky. We train as much as we can. We put in as many hours as we can.
“There are some days when it becomes impossible when my schedule at Waterloo Road becomes too manic like we lost Tuesday (this) week. I was in every single scene, all day at Waterloo Road. It is difficult. I have two other jobs and I have a family. They have to be priority as well."
She added that she had less than 18 hours training last week when her and Graziano won the dance-off against Bros singer Matt Goss and his professional dance partner Nadiya Bychkova last Sunday. On being in the bottom rankings, Marsh added: "Someone has to go each week.
"I wasn’t like oh my goodness this is me and it doesn’t feel nice and it’s not a comfortable feeling. You are dancing off against someone who you like, (and you realise) it’s actually a competition and it’s uncomfortable.”
She also said that her children and father have been encouraging her throughout. "I got a text from my 11-year-old (on Friday morning) saying, ‘Good luck mum, I love you,'" she recalled. "And those things are the things that really matter to me and those are the things that push me forward. ”
Meanwhile, Graziano said his partner has been “10 out of 10” and a “perfectionist” throughout her training. He added: "I call her my warrior as I don’t know how she puts together things but she works in the morning, maybe until one, and we rehearse (to) eight, nine in the evening."
But Kym also said the team at Waterloo Road offered her a space to practice which she rejected as she "would need a make-up call again”. She said: "I just get so sweaty, your hair goes and your makeup goes. A very kind offer but it does not work."
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