Why is Debbie McGee on Strictly?

[StepAwayFromCake]

She was a professional ballet dancer!

Is going on reality tv shows forging a career though?
I've got nothing against the woman, nor do I watch Strictly, I just made a comment that I see her everywhere these days.

I thought she danced beautifully. Good for her.

Maybe she's trying to find herself and a new path in life as a relatively young, recent widow.

If there were any regulations about previous dance training or experience though where would the line be drawn? I suppose it does provide variety if all the contestants are of differing abilities and if the audience genuinely think it is unfair it will show in the voting at some stage of the competition.

The fact that her 'career' as a dancer was 30+ years ago and only lasted a couple of years makes her acceptable in my book. She is not known for her dancing and the general public have not been exposed to her dancing before.

Many of the actors/musicians who appear on Strictly have been to stage school and had dance training

I love her!! You sound bitter OP
She's only 58/59, she should be able to move like that...why not?
I'm 53 and I'm fitter now than I was 30 years ago. Go Debbie

Ballet is the basis of dance so it's hugely helpful. Every year some people are amazed at how good some contestants are but anyone who has been to stage school (ages 11-19 roughly) or Drama school (degree courses) will have done ballroom dancing. If they've studied Musical Theatre 1/3 of their course is dance of different types .So lots of people have a huge advantage. I'm always most impressed by the ones with no background in performance, some of whom have been excellent!

There have been many ringers in the past (Natalie Gumede anyone?) but I think Debbie is the only one who has actually had "professional dancer" on her passport.

The spins are always what marks the ringers out because it takes years of training to perfect them. Aliona and Oti used to throw in loads of gratuitous spins for Jay and Danny to show off their perfect spotting, and Debbie is clearly well able to keep up with Giovanni (who loves his spins, normally to the point of showing up his cleb)

However sod it, I love Debbie, she's recently bereaved, she seems to be having a whale of a time with Giovanni, and it'll be a giggle watching her battle it out with Aston, who is not exactly on a journey himself.

I think they always have a few people with dance training in it to make sure there are some good dancers - i's essentially an entertainments show, and while one Anne Widdicombe/Hairy Biker man might be mildly amusing for a short while, you don't want to watch 15 people with no dancing ability at all.

And when it comes to it the public know who the dancers are, and although they often reach the final, people like the ones who do improve and learn - so people like Ore with no training but some natural talent have a good chance.

Debbie and Aston are both clearly dancers, - but it's a dancing show, and ultimately I just want to watch some nice dancing and some people having fun. I enjoyed Joe and Chizzy - who both gave it a lot of enthusiasm and were fun to watch.

I think reality tv star is a legit career these days, imagine magician's assistant wasn't seen as a career by many when that was what she did.

It was a public vote, but I did think the public was being encouraged to vote for Ore for the " journey" (I'm sure he had previous dance experience, but then many of them do - maybe more of a minority this time) when Danny was actually the better dancer, and had excellent choreography from Oti. I was also irritated that she is now partnered with someone with a prosthetic leg because, although it might not be politically correct to say so, having a prosthetic leg has got to put you at a disadvantage in dancing and limit what Oti can do with the choreography. But although I do find it a bit irritating, I guess I've got to accept that Strictly is as much about the journey as the actual dancing.

Half the fun of watching Strictly is in the slebs' journeys as they discover dance.

And the other half is seeing actual good dancing. I hate seeing shit celebs who can't dance. I want to see good talent.

An older woman who isn't a joke on Strictly is so refreshing. I'm sure there was someone either last year or the year before who was an ex ballet dancer and she was unable to get some of the moves down because her muscle memory from ballet made her legs go wrong.
Wasn't the previous Saturdays bandmate (married to Wayne Bridges, blanking on her name) a childhood ballroom competitor?
If I was in half as good a shape as Debbie is in I'd be delighted, I'm almost half her age!

Gosh she was brilliant, wasn't she?! I loved her on Masterchef too.

That said, I really thought she was older; I guess maybe because she's been a round for ages and obviously started her show career very young. She's in amazing shape anyway - a great advert for ballet!

I want her to win.

I like it when an older woman has a chance. Couldn't stand Pamela Stephenson but she was a revelation.

I would absolutely love Bonnie Langford to do it. She is an amazing dancer (and would be the ultimate ringer) but I would love to see her dance

I'm not bitter, and I'm delighted that an older woman is performing beautifully. I'm also delighted that a stout, gay, female comedian is performing as a serious dancer and not as a figure of fun. One thing that has always been wonderful about Strictly is that conventional beauty is irrelevant: young, old, fat, slim, stiff, lithe, all get to try, and often surprise us. It's brilliant that they have extended that this year, and a Paralympian is competing.

I was also irritated that she is now partnered with someone with a prosthetic leg because, although it might not be politically correct to say so, having a prosthetic leg has got to put you at a disadvantage in dancing and limit what Oti can do with the choreography.

How can you say this?! Surely they put him with a talented choreographer because that way he and his professional can truly give of their best, and be less limited.

She's 59? I thought she was a lot older than that.

I know that people with disabilities have appeared on Dancing With The Stars and done well, but to say that a physical disability can affect the ability to dance in the same way as someone who doesn't have one appears to me to be only the truth. Oti will do her best to work around this in her choreography I am sure, but it will not be the same as choreography that did not have to consider the limitations of a physical disability. Dancing With The Stars is as much about inspirational journeys as the dance, but although I know I may be attacked for saying this, what I liked about Strictly was mainly just the dance. But as we might get a Royal Ballet trained celebrity winning anyway (bit surprised by this) I guess I have to agree there will probably be plenty of dance content to the programme.

Johnnie will require more thoughtful and imaginative choreography and training certainly, but I don't think Oti fans have anything to complain about really. Last year she got a contestant who was the complete package and could do absolutely anything - this year she's got a contestant who's fit and good looking and will probably be popular with the voters but who doesn't have dance experience and has some physical restrictions. Seems like she's getting her fair share of the talent, I'm pretty sure that Amy, Chloe and Karen would be more than happy to swap.

Totally in agreement. People who have made a career in dance should not be on Strictly.

She does not come across as a pleasant character and was matched with my most hated professional dancer - they deserve each other.

I'm sure there was someone either last year or the year before who was an ex ballet dancer and she was unable to get some of the moves down because her muscle memory from ballet made her legs go wrong.

Pixie Lott? She had ballet training, as I remember. All her routines seemed to include high kicks/the splits/anything they could shoehorn in to show off her stretchy hamstrings!

I didn't think Debbie was that great, TBH, and I think she'll find the Latin in particular difficult. I am irritated by Aston's clear ability, but then again loads of people throughout the series' history have been to stage school/danced in bands etc and hardly ever win in the end.

She used to give me the irrates, but she's great.
Good luck to her.

I thought she was fab. It's decades since she was a ballet dancer and I agree that most celebs have had some dance training of some sort.
I wish her well.

I don't really like her personality, I find her a bit faux sparkly persona grating however, she did a cracking job with her routine and I'd be happy if an older women with her talent won.

I don't care that there are celebs who have dance training, it's not Celebrity Novice Come Dancing and it would be very difficult to find enough people in showbiz who had no training year on year. I just wish they were more honest about it, I can't bear the constant "people think I should be able to do this because I've been in a band/The West End/The Royal Ballet Company but lil' ole' me can barely do a kick ball change without falling over" bollocks. Maybe they think it would unduly prejudice the audience if they knew just how much training some of the have had but it's bleeding obvious to anyone with any dance knowledge/training .