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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Judi James & Susan Knox

Strictly's Fleur East proves she's 'lost her spark' amid 'low energy' after fix claims

Saturday night's instalment of Strictly Come Dancing had everyone talking for a number of reasons, but mainly, viewers reacted the the 'fox row' surrounding contestant Fleur East, and her unforgettable performance which had the judges stunned.

Fleur, 33, was left feeling 'low', after she faced the dance-off for a second week last weekend.

Her performance sparked a 'fix row ', but Fleur, and the BBC, have since explained what really happened.

However, Fleur and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola bounced back on Saturday night - impressing viewers and the judges with a moving performance on Saturday night.

Sharing her thoughts on Fleur's body language following a tough couple of weeks, body language expert said the singer seemed like a 'different person' as she confidently commanded the dance floor.

Fleur seemed like a 'new woman' on the dance floor this weekend after a tough two weeks (BBC/Guy Levy)

"After her two dance-offs, Fleur looked like a different, more solemn woman tonight. Her voice was lower and her smile almost vanished, while her body position in rehearsals was a self-protective curl with her knees pulled up to her chest," Judi explained.

"Gone was the buzzing enthusiasm she is known for and instead she was talking about her Dad and how much he loved the show. She looked so much lower than usual that you could hear cries of ‘Come on Fleur’ from the audience as she started her routine."

The expert went on to explain that Shirley's body language appeared to be completely opposite to that of her fellow judges.

Fleur oozed confidence on the dance floor (PA)
Fleur has been caught up in fix row rumours (PA)

"Anton called her a ‘divine dancer’ and Craig ‘adored it’. Motsi was on her feet clapping their waltz, but Shirley’s body language signals flashed warning signals of something other than praise," Judi explained.

"While the other judges displayed signals of active enthusiasm, Shirley’s body language was a complete contrast. She sat looking down with her finger on her chin, suggesting something more pensive and solemn, more like a judge at a trial than a dance judge."

"In many ways it didn’t matter what Shirley said because the impact came from the way that she said it. Instead of mentioning Fleur’s mistake with her feet, Shirley appeared to remove her own shoes to place them up on the judging desk and use them to illustrate what went wrong," the expert continued.

Shirley demonstrated Fleur's mistakes (BBC)

"This gesture would have made a much stronger imprint on the audience than just some verbal mention of a mistake that most of us wouldn’t understand. As a tool to teach it might be useful but as a method of judging it looked over-emphatic, especially as several other celebs made mistakes tonight and got what were often reassuring comments from the judges as they did."

Before she took to the dance floor on Saturday night, Fleur confessed that she was struggling with her second stint in the bottom two.

She vowed to fight back though, as she wanted to do her late father proud as Strictly was his favourite show.

"After being in the dance-off for the second time I have been feeling quite low this week," the former X Factor star explained.

The pair addressed the reports during an appearance on Loose Women (ITV)

"Losing my dad two year ago is hands down the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, so to face the challenge of the dance-off, I have learned through life I can pull myself back up and I can keep fighting.

"Strictly was his favourite show and I know every time I step out on that dance floor, my dad is watching over me.

"I have got another chance to dance again which I do not take for granted, and I just wanna smash it for my dad."

Earlier this week, it was reported that Fleur and Vito were allowed to perform their dance-off routine for a second time, after a stumble in the opening moments.

The dance-off led to James Bye being sent home, while Fleur was saved for another week - with some viewers calling it a "fix".

Strictly Come Dancing stars Fleur East and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola have addressed a fix row (ITV)

Fleur and Vito had addressed the dance-off drama on Loose Women this week, revealing what really happened.

Explaining the fall, Vito clarified it had been him that took a tumble, as opposed to Fleur, as was previously reported.

He told the panel: "Basically, in the first few seconds of our number, I just fell down on the chair.

"Everyone was gasping there. But luckily they made sure that I was okay, so we were able to restart. I’m fine. I’m here today."

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