HomeTVRobin Windsor Strictly 2014 week 4 interview

Robin Windsor Strictly 2014 week 4 interview

Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer Robin Windsor returned to the Strictly studio last week to cheer on the couples following the news that he is healthy enough to return to dancing following his back injury.

Casting his discerning eye over all of the couples, Robin has been giving us his opinion about how everyone is getting on and who needs to up their game to stay in the competition.

We caught up with Robin to talk about Timā€™s exit, Alisonā€™s crowd-pleasing Samba and the possibility of a shock elimination during week 5.

At the weekend we waved goodbye to Tim Wonnacott and his partner Natalie Lowe. Was that the right decision?

I think based on who was in the bottom two yes Tim was the right person to go but I absolutely loved his dance. What a gracious exit! I think itā€™s the most gracious weā€™ve ever had on Strictly. It just goes to show that he is a true gentleman and it was sad to see him go. I really enjoyed his Paso Doble.

It seemed that Natalie was just as, if not more, upset as Tim. They formed a real bond didnā€™t they?

They clearly had a very special bond. They got on so well. Like when I got voted off with Deborah (Meaden) last year, I got very upset for Deborah. Natalie was just as upset for Tim as she was to leave the competition.

Mark Wright and Karen Hauer found themselves in the bottom two this weekend, which was a real shock. Why do you think they ended up in that position?

I think that Mark and Karen were in the same position on the leaderboard that Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff were the week before. People just think they are safe. I thought that the public would correct their mistake from last week and make sure the right two couples were in the bottom two this week. Mark did say he wasnā€™t surprised to be there and to look at what happened last week ā€“ anything can happen! Youā€™ve got to make sure you pick up the phone and vote for the ones that really need to stay in.

The way the voting has been going this series we could find ourselves with a shock exit in the next couple of weeks couldnā€™t we?

If the public donā€™t start voting the correct two into the bottom two every week weā€™ll end up with two really good dancers and weā€™re going to start losing really good dancers or people that deserve to go a long way in this competition.

Tim Wonnacott & Natalie Lowe
Credit: BBC/Guy Levy

The two weakest dancers in the competition now are Scott Mills and Judy Murray. Why do you think people are voting for them?

Scott Mills has got a big following but at the same time I would probably vote for him because heā€™s my guilty pleasure every single watch. I love to watch. When people receive bad comments from the judges people start to feel sorry for them and pick up the phone. Craig said that Scott has become the first person heā€™s seen that proves you canā€™t teach everyone to dance. I thought that was really tough and I felt sorry for Scott because heā€™s really trying. Yes heā€™s not great but heā€™s giving it a go.

Judy was thrown across the dancefloor like a bowling ball by Anton but she did improve on the week before. If people are voting based on improvement then yes maybe people could have picked up the phone and voted for her.

Someone who didnā€™t have a great week this week was Sunetra Sarker. She got decent enough scores but she still ended up nearer to the bottom of the leaderboardā€¦

Last week I thought Sunetra was probably one of my favourites. This week I thought she did a good Salsa but it was a little stuff here and there. It wasnā€™t as good as the week before and I like to see people getting better. I think Sunetra will be more favourable in the Ballroom dances, which she will be doing next week.

You were in the studio audience this weekend. It seemed like Alison Hammondā€™s routine went down a storm. Did you love it?

What better way to have a Saturday night than Alison being Beyonce and giving it all that booty shaking? It was electric! The public loved it and so did I. Her personality is just overshadowing everybody elseā€™s. That laugh is the most infectious laugh Iā€™ve ever heard. People enjoy watching her and theyā€™re going to pick up the phone and vote. I still want to see her in a pair of heels. Technically it wasnā€™t that great but the energy and enthusiasm was just incredible.

We got told off last week on Twitter because we didnā€™t talk about Steve Backshall. He started off so strong in week 1 and heā€™s seemed to struggle ever since. Would you say that was a fair assessment?

Yes. Steve did start off really strongly. Heā€™s had a couple of good weeks and a couple of not so good weeks. His Salsa ā€“ firstly I loved the music because I danced to that with Anita Dobson and it just makes you happy and puts you in the mood for a cocktail. Secondly he did some great acrobatic moves in his dance and I thought his Salsa was really good. It had lots of armography and it was a better dance from him.

Steve Backshall
Credit: BBC/Guy Levy

Simon Webbe came back fighting this week with his Charleston. What did you think of that performance?

Simon showed that when you put personality into it and a lot of extra effort and hard work you deliver a great dance. I absolutely loved his Charleston. I thought it was spot and extremely underscored. It just goes to show you can come back fighting bigger, better and stronger.

A pattern has emerged over the first four weeks with Frankie Bridge, Jake Wood, Pixie Lott and Caroline Flack all sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard. Each week they swap places but they are consistently at the top. Do you think anyone else can beat them?

So far we have what I call The Fantastic Four that have been at the top every week but we had performances this weekend from Thom Evans and Simon Webbe that are really going to push them up the leaderboard and hot on to the heels of The Fantastic Four. I thought again that Thom came out and gave a performance with more personality that people could relate to. His improvement was vast and it was a lovely Foxtrot.

Who do you think could be in danger this weekend?

In danger this weekend could be any of about 6 contestants that are on the lower half of the leaderboard. It really is down to the public. Who would have thought that Mark or Simon would have been in the bottom two at this early stage? There could be a shock exit this weekend if the public end up putting two good dancers in the bottom two. Who knows whatā€™s going to happen?

Strictly Come Dancing 2014 continues on Saturday night at 6.30pm. Watch Alison Hammond and Aljaz Skorjanecā€™s Samba from week 4 below:

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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