Former Strictly head judge Arlene Phillips accuses Craig Revel Horwood of unfair scoring
Arlene Phillips, who served as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing from 2004 to 2009, has accused current judge Craig Revel Horwood of undermarking contestant Layton Williams. Phillips, 80, believes that Williams, a talented West End performer aged 29, deserved a perfect score for his performance last weekend.
Accusations of attention-seeking
Phillips made her remarks at the Oldie of the Year Awards, where she criticised Revel Horwood for his scoring. Williams and his professional partner, Nikita Kuzmin, received a score of 39 out of 40 for their couple's choice dance to Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man." However, Revel Horwood gave them a nine, which Phillips believes was a deliberate attempt to attract attention.
"Craig totally knows what he is doing"
According to Phillips, Revel Horwood is aware of the impact his scoring has on the show and purposely plays up to his TV persona. She argued that if he were to give a score of 10 when everyone else is also giving 10s, it would go unnoticed. However, by giving lower scores, Revel Horwood's occasional 10s become newsworthy and memorable.
Phillips concluded, "Craig totally knows what he is doing. He plays to his TV persona."
