Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has made a bold claim about last year’s final, admitting he thinks Fleur East was “robbed”.
The most recent season of Strictly concluded in December 2022, with Fleur making it to the end of the series alongside Molly Rainford, Helen Skelton and eventual winner Hamza Yassin.
Craig was asked for his thoughts on the finalists during an interview on the Magic breakfast show on Friday, admitting: “Fleur... can I say this on Magic, darling? She was robbed. There you go. That’s just me.”
He continued: “For me, in the final, anyone could have won. I think Hamza did an absolutely spectacular job, and he had all the audience behind him which is really important as well.
“But I thought Fleur really came out of her shell and she was absolutely extraordinary. And I’m not just saying that!”
The long-serving judge also heaped praise on Fleur for repeatedly bouncing back from the dance-off (or the “dance gutter” as he colourfully put it), while hailing her perfect-scoring Couple’s Choice performance as “one of my favourite, favourite routines”.
“She is spectacular,” he added.
During the latest Strictly final, the Sax singer and her professional partner Vito Coppola came out on top when it came to the judges’ scores, earning 119 of a possible 120 points.
However, it was the public who made the ultimate decision on the night, crowning wildlife cameraman Hamza and his partner Jowita Przystał as the reigning Strictly champions.
On winning the 20th series of Strictly, Hamza said: “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s hard to describe how I feel… Jowita, you are an angel disguised as a human being.”