STRICTLY Come Dancing’s Christmas special came with good tidings with Motsi Mabuse reaching out an olive – or should that be holly? – branch to Craig Revel Horwood.
The pair seemingly addressed their feud in order to put on a united front for the festive special edition of the BBC family favourite.
Craig and Motsi put on a united front on the Christmas special
Motsi created a literal olive branch as their work together ended for the year
Over the main 2022 series of the dance show, it’s been reported the judges have been locked in a feud – particularly Motsi and the panel’s resident ‘Mr Nasty’ Craig.
But following Nicola Roberts and Giovanni Pernice’s performance on the Christmas special, which aired on Christmas Day, Motsi made a point to show that it’s all love between the pair, as well as Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.
She told the dancing pair of their routine: “I felt like it captured the silence, that magical part of Christmas. You know, where we all come together and realise “Ok, we’ve done it, it’s the end of the year.”
“Love your people,” Motsi continued, holding the hand of Shirley Ballas, before turning and cautiously reaching out to Craig.
Craig didn’t initially bite though, and joked: “Time’s over, Motsi, it’s Christmas!”
He did ultimately accept the gesture though, with the pair beaming next to each other.
Craig fired first earlier this year by branding Motsi a “diva” in an interview, causing Motsi to call him the same thing during the Halloween special while giving critiques to Molly Rainford.
Around the same time, Motsi shared a reel on Instagram showing someone being dropped to the floor in a trust exercise, with the caption: “When a company has bad workplace culture but the CEO is forcing them to bond.”
An insider later told HOAR: “It’s been tense between Craig and Motsi lately and the atmosphere hasn’t been good backstage.
“They’re both extremely professional and so are able to put aside any niggles during filming, but they are both feeling irritated.
“Motsi shot Craig daggers at his low scores last week – knowing he’d called her a ‘diva’ in a recent interview – but it’s all part of their acts on the panel.
“Their issues stem from the release of Motsi’s book last month.
“Craig wasn’t happy about what Motsi said about Bruno who was a judge on the show for 18 years, and he’s holding a grudge.
“He’s a fiercely loyal person and is just defending Bruno after all those years working together.
“He thinks Motsi is too big for her boots, having only joined Strictly four years ago.”
Craig branded Motsi a ‘diva’ in an interview
Nicola and Giovanni’s performance sparked an emotional response
Motsi got the giggles as Craig made playful jabs
