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By LARA GOULD
Strictly Come Dancing presenter Alesha Dixon said it was '100 per cent' right for Anne Widdecombe to leave the showStrictly Come Dancing judge Alesha Dixon says it was ‘100 per cent right’ for Ann Widdecombe to leave the show last week.
The 32-year-old panellist and former Strictly winner said she was ‘relieved’ the public decided to send the former Prisons Minister home after growing tired of her clunking routines.
Alesha – who predicted the 63-year-old ex-MP’s departure last week saying: ‘For me the honeymoon is over’ – said: ‘It was the right time for Ann to go.
‘If she’d gone on for two weeks more then I think the public would have turned on her. It had come to the point where it was time for the best dancers to be in the competition.
‘No matter how many times we put her at the bottom of the leader board – which was every week – the public are the ones that decide.’
But she also acknowledged the popularity of Ms Widdecombe’s dances with partner Anton du Beke. Ms Dixon said: ‘When Ann walked out on to the dance floor the crowd went crazy for her.
‘So you have to acknowledge what she’s bringing, but at the same time strike that balance to remember at the end we want the best dancers in the show.’
She added: ‘It was 100 per cent right she went when she did. It wasn’t frustration, more relief.’
Sent off: Ann Widdecombe with dancing partner Anton du Beke on her final showMs Dixon, who won Strictly in 2007, also waded into the row over rival show The X Factor, which has been accused of ‘fixing’ its result to keep Cher Lloyd in the competition by putting the decision in the hands of the panel rather than the public.
She said: ‘I always prefer it if the public decide a contestant’s fate rather than four individuals – 11 million people is far more powerful than four judges.’
Revealing that she is an avid viewer of The X Factor, Ms Dixon said: ‘I sit like everybody else watching it shouting at the screen, “Deadlock! Deadlock!” because you just want to hear what the public have to say.
'If it’s the public that decide then they’re responsible and I think that’s better.’
Miss Dixon defended herself over accusations that she has used poor grammar when speaking as a judge on Strictly.
All white on the night: Scott Maslen and Natalie Lowe danced the charlestonCritical viewers have been tallying up examples of her incorrect use of language on online forums, but Ms Dixon hit back: ‘I am myself. You either like me or you don’t.
'People speak in different ways. I didn’t realise there were rules on how you should speak on TV.’
Last night the five remaining celebrities, Gavin Henson, Scott Maslen, Matt Baker, Kara Tointon and Pamela Stephenson danced off for a place in next week’s final.
Each couple showcased three dances over a weekend of competition which kicked off on Friday night.
Going into the show Countryfile presenter Matt Baker remained favourite to win, despite being marked down for his first dance, the salsa, on Friday night to be left second from bottom on the leaderboard.
source: dailymail [endtext]