Strictly Come Dancing is coming to an end this weekend with the first-ever all-female final.
Natalie Gumede, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Abbey Clancy and Susanna Reid will battle it out to be crowned Queen of the Ballroom but they’ve got a bit more dancing to do yet.
We caught up with Robin Windsor to talk about Patrick’s exit, find out why he thinks each of the four finalists deserve to win, and discuss his return to the ballroom for the final live show.
The Strictly 2013 final is here on Saturday and it’s an all-female final…
This is the first time ever in Strictly history that we’ve had an all-female finale. It’s going to be great and it’s all about girl power this weekend. I think this is one final that no one is ever going to forget.
Patrick left the competition during last weekend’s semi-final despite being a consistent dancer and a good scorer. Even more surprising was Natalie and Artem in the bottom two…
Last week’s semi-final was of such a high standard that it could have gone either way. Patrick was at the top of the leaderboard in the quarter-final and ended up in the bottom two and last week Natalie and Artem were top of the leaderboard and in the bottom two. It just goes to show that it can go any way and that glitterball could go to any of the final four.
Natalie and Artem being in the bottom two was a big shock for everyone wasn’t it?
I don’t often do this but after Natalie and Artem were in the bottom two last week I took to Twitter to say how disgusted I was. They were two unbelievable routines and there was no way in a million years that they deserved to be in the bottom two.
It’s a tall order for the four remaining couples this weekend who potentially will be dancing three times during the final. How tough is that for the final week?
For the final everyone has three dances to do. It doesn’t sound that bad seeing as they’ve done some of these dances before however with the amount of pressure, the amount of exhaustion they’ll feel learning the showdances…those showdances are full of lifts and everybody is going to be absolutely knackered. I think on Saturday night it’s going to be pure adrenaline getting everyone through because it’s been a long three months for them and they’re absolutely shattered.
Tell us more about the Showdance. What are the rules and restrictions?
The rules of the Showdance is there are no rules. It’s anything goes! You can put in as many lifts, tricks, flips, choreography…you can lay on the floor, you can roll around and do whatever you want. As we’ve seen in the past there are some exceptional showdances. Last year it was Denise and James which was incredible. The year before that it was Chelsee’s showdance that stole the show and before that it was Kara and Artem to Don’t Stop Me Now which is one of my favourite showdances. I’m sure that this weekend is going to be no exception. I can’t wait to see what all the professionals have come up with to make their celebrities look amazing.
You’ll be back in the ballroom and dancing in the final now that you’ve been given the ok from the doctors. What’s it like to be back?
I’ve been back in rehearsals this week for the first time in 5 weeks and I’m absolutely beyond excited to dance in the final. It was great yesterday because I got to dance with Kristina and Deborah, so I got both of my girls back, and of course as always there’ll be all the celebrities returning to dance with their partners in a very special group number this year.
Can you give anything away about the group number or is it all top secret?
It’s all top secret so you’ll have to tune in at 6.30pm on Saturday night. You’re going to see something spectacular.
Now for something a little bit different. We’re going to ask you why each of the remaining celebrities deserves to win the show. Let’s start off with Susanna…
Currently she’s the only celebrity in the competition still working. She’s got 3 children and she’s never had any dance training. She’s doing brilliantly. I think the public are behind her, she’s doing really well and I think she deserves to win based on the fact that she must be the most tired person in the world right now.
Why do you think Abbey deserves to win?
Abbey and Aljaz have an amazing chemistry between them. When you watch them on the dancefloor you’re drawn into everything they do. She’s somebody that’s improved so much throughout the competition. She finally came out of herself and got rid of the nerves. Every dance they do you watch and just smile. I just love to watch her dance.
Why do you think Sophie deserves to win?
Here we have our very own Audrey Hepburn. Consistency is the word I would use with Sophie. She started off brilliantly, she continued to be brilliantly and as the competition has gone on her personality has come out. We’re all starting to see this amazing side of Sophie. She’s so classic and beautiful to watch. I think that’s why she deserves to win.
Why do you think Natalie deserves to win?
What I hate is that Natalie has had an awful lot of stick through the press about already having had some dance training. What people don’t understand is that to get to this standard of ballroom dancing, which she has never done, has been an arduous task. She has put in the most amount of effort to ensure that she delivers every week because of what people expect from her. She’s done an incredible job and so has Artem. Artem is the choreographer of the year as far as I’m concerned. I think the one thing that has held Natalie back is that people still think of her as Kirstie from Coronation Street. I think it’s time we forget Kirstie, looked and Natalie and said ‘you know what, she’s a brilliant dancer and she deserves to win this’.
What’s been your highlight of Strictly 2013?
My favourite thing about the show this year has been dancing with Deborah. Once again I’ve struck up an amazing friendship with my celebrity partner and we’ll be friends for life. That’s been my highlight – getting to meet Deborah. As always I just love being on the show. I love my job, it’s the best job in the world! I will keep doing this until my legs decide they can’t do it anymore.
Tune into Strictly Come Dancing 2013’s final on Saturday night at 6.30pm on BBC One and BBC One HD to find out who wins the series.
