Heavyweight boxer Audley Harrison suffered a Strictly Come Dancing knockout blow on Saturday as the TV audience voter the popular sportsman off the show.

Forty year-old Audley, from Harlesden, who became the first ever British boxer to win a gold medal in the superheavyweight division at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, was decked by star gazer Russell Grant whose dancing was undoubtedly inferior to Harrison’s. Those looking at the Strictly Come Dancing betting may have been surprised.

But as we know, it’s not about dance quality so much as popularity, and Russell’s brave but inept performance seemed to capture the nation’s hearts a little more than the 6 feet 5 1?2 inch, 18 and half stone pugilist. Although no lightweight himself, for his size, the diminutive Russell Grant has 10 years on the boxer and the astrologer’s partnership with Flavia Cacace was sufficient to carry the day. Other likely losers, Anita Dobson and Robin, Alex Jones and James, just about did enough to stay in. People looking for Strictly Come Dancing tips should remember this.

Audley undoubtedly leaves the competition as something of a hero; he’s certainly better known and better liked than when this Strictly series started. He remained positive and friendly to all the whole way through the competition. His ballroom dances were amazingly elegant for such a big man and his Latin-American dances were thoroughly entertaining.

The sportsman certainly never let himself down; doing his utmost to take the dances seriously and truly showing his agility throughout.

He displayed a great attitude to the entire competition and will be sorely missed.

Audley’s departure now leaves Anita Dobson and Robin, Alex Jones and James and Russell Grant and Flavia looking the most likely to face the heave-ho from the nation’s Strictly viewers. Harry Judd and Aliona and Jason Donovan and partner Kristina remain favourites to win the top prize.
Watch this space!

Dubbed ‘everyone’s favourite singing sensation’ By ‘Strictly Come Dancing, It Takes Two’ host Zoe Ball and absolutely no one else, ever, Chris De Burgh was on the show last week to talk about how he’d not seen any of Strictly Come Dancing as he’d been busy promoting his NEW ALBUM. So he was unable to make any relevant comments about Strictly Come Dancing, but he was able to discuss his NEW ALBUM at considerable length.

Nice one Chris. I had thought I wanted to watch a show about Strictly Come Dancing, but you in your infinite wisdom knew better and decided that I wanted to watch some old gimmer bang on about his NEW ALBUM instead. I hope you got paid heartily for this service to our screens, you absolute saint, you. Those looking at the Strictly Come Dancing betting should remember this.

De Burgh did make a half-hearted attempt to pretend he knew something about the show and wasn’t just there to talk about his NEW ALBUM, however, by wittering some dull nonsense about Paso Dobles and Salsas. He might have been talking about Pringles and salsa though; I had lost interest by this point.

Ex Conservative MP and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Anne Widdecome was slightly better value for money, commenting on her former dance partner Anton Du Beke’s current partner Nancy Del’Olio as being better than she. Not a hard feat, if anyone remembers Anne’s valiant, but ultimately ungainly, attempts when she appeared in the competition some time ago.  People looking for Strictly Come dancing tips should remember this.

‘Miranda’ actor Tom Ellis was also there saying something about rumbas and jives, but we were too busy looking at his pretty face to pay all that much attention to the words.

Cheeky, saucy, playful and rhythmic – just some of the words used by Strictly Come Dancing judge and Italian bundle of enthusiasm, Bruno Tonioli, to describe contestant Chelsee Healey’s performance on this week’s show.

Chelsee, who’s best known for playing Janeece Bryant in the BBC’s Waterloo Road (hell of a lot of e’s going around here), danced with professional Pasha Kovalev in the Broadway special and impressed the judges. She also brought her Nan along to have a little dance with Pasha during rehearsals, which is nice. People looking at the Strictly Come Dancing odds should remember this.

Len ‘Se-Ven! Goodman has said of Chelsee “You come out and you give it some welly, you don’t mess about.” And she certainly doesn’t. We can’t help but be distracted by her improbably large lips and chest however. Her top lip seems to have grown rapidly since her early Waterloo Road days, and her chest seems in danger of toppling her otherwise petite frame over. Has she succumbed to the lure of the plastic surgeon’s knife at the tender age of 23? Who knows?

Other stars on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing whose looks have been giving us cause for concern are Lulu, who looks more like 52 than 62 (is she a fan of Botox?); Alex Jones, who looks like Christine Bleakley but isn’t; Nancy Dell’Olio, who also has a slight ‘Leslie Ash lip’ look about her; Robbie Savage, whose hair is too shiny for any human man; Rob Brydon, who looks like Anton Du Beke; and everyone’s favourite Royal Astrologer, Russell Grant, who looks like a little weeble.  Those looking for Strictly Come Dancing tips will have their own opinions.

Whatever they look like though, we’re loving watching them shake their funky things!

As ever, Strictly Come Dancing 2011 is full of sequins, shimmying, sambas and… sick. Yep, that’s right: barf. One of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing contestants, female-TV-presenter-who-isn’t-Christine-Bleakley, Alex Jones, apparently wants sick bags sewn in amongst the sequins of her dresses.

The presenter of The One Show and sister of ex T4 love boat Steve Jones (possibly), has been feeling sick with nerves during this year’s Strictly and has been quoted as saying “The only dress I’d be envious of is one that has a sick bag sewn into it!” What a beautiful image. Those following the Strictly Come Dancing betting will be wondering if her nerves will be evident in her dancing.

Alex, who is widely rumoured (by no one) to be the love child of Welsh crooner Tom Jones, has also been mouthing off about the lack of actual clothing in the Strictly outfits, saying “I’ve worn more clothes getting out of the shower!” This is confusing as we were under the impression showering was best done sans-clothes and that dressing was best done out of the shower, to avoid said clothes getting wet, and that towels do not constitute clothes…

We fear we may have to rethink our whole showering and dressing approach thanks to Miss Jones.

In the meantime, we’ll be staying glued to our screens to see if her dad Tom Jones turns up to help Alex samba to victory with her professional dancer partner James Jordan by performing a soulful rendition of What’s New Pussycat. The Strictly Come dancing winner odds show this could give her a big boost.

We also hope her brother Steve shows up to try it on with Holly Valance, not to mention Ola Jordan, Natalie Lowe and Kristina Rihanoff, and every other woman on the show, or in the audience. Hey, count the men in too while we’re at it. Although Steve should watch it if he is planning on attempting to seduced Kristina, who ended up getting together with her dance partner last year, boxer Joe Calzaghe.

This year’s Strictly Come Dancing has all the ingredients to make a classic, from the contestants, to the judges, the dresses to the dramas. Oh and not to forget the dancing of course!

This year’s Anne Widdecome/John Sergeant has to be the roly-poly bag of astrological fun that is Russell Grant. Camper than a row of tents at Christmas with tiny little Louie Spences in each tent (okay, maybe not that camp, but you get the picture, he’s pretty camp), Russell is like a little weeble (remember them?) who sways back and forth with a lot of energy and not a lot of natural dancing finesse. People following the Strictly Come Dancing odds need to bear this in mind.

Like Widders and John before him, Russell has the potential to become the nation’s favourite dancing underdog and could stay in week after week, despite appearing heavier and lumpier than a sack of Maris Pipers as he’s dragged around the dance floor by his amiable professional dance partner, Flavia Cacace. Who sounds like a particularly tasty premium brand of pasta sauce, or is that just me?

When Widders went on Strictly a couple of years ago she managed to miraculously turn public opinion around and went from being viewed as a reactionary old battleaxe, to a spiffing good sport who wasn’t afraid to don a sequin if the occasion demanded, and all by being very bad at dancing. Those following the Strictly Come Dancing winner odds should remember this.

Jo Brand lookalike John Sergeant didn’t have as much of an uphill battle to climb in terms of public opinion, but was kept in week after week despite being horrendous, until even he got sick of dragging his carcass round the stage like a reluctant circus elephant, and quit.

Britain loves an underdog!