Dani Dyer’s Nikita Strictly route has hit a blunt note: Judi James says she needs to cut back the self-conscious body language that could stand in the way of a win with Nikita Kuzmin. The warning follows their Movie Week Foxtrot to Beauty and the Beast on Strictly Come Dancing, where the pair were praised in parts but still left with work to do.
Movie Week Foxtrot and the 23
23 points were the outcome for Dyer and Kuzmin after Craig gave 6, Motsi gave 6, Shirley gave 5 and Anton gave 6. Anton said he loved the “attention to detail”, while Motsi said it was as though Dyer was “scared of Nikita”. Shirley said the pair “showed promise”, which is a polite way of saying the judges saw room for more commitment before the dances get harder.
Judi James, speaking on behalf of Paddy Power Bingo, said, “The core section of Dani’s dance with Nikita went like the fairytale dream it was supposed to be, but her very self-conscious-looking rituals and behaviours otherwise with Nikita suggest there’s some stubborn inhibitions needing to be shaved off from her body language if the couple are going to perform the kind of sensual chemistry out there on the dance floor that will be necessary for many of their other dance routines.”
Judi James and the ‘hall pass’
James went further, saying, “The fans know Dani is happily married and they also know she can do fake romance as she is a Love Island winner, so she might need to get an actor’s ‘hall pass’ to allow her to fake it a little on the dancefloor if her dances are going to have the goosebump-inducing ‘Strictly Sizzle’ factor she’ll need for a win.” She also said, “When Nikita looked at her after the judges’ comments she squeezed her eyes shut and looked away and as they walked off the dancefloor Nikita held her by the wrist in an over-formal-looking clasp rather than holding her hand.”
That leaves the practical issue in plain view: Dyer has the scoring to stay in the mix, but the judges and the body language readout are asking for a shift in how she presents the partnership. After last season’s horror injury and her return to Strictly Come Dancing, the next step is less about learning the basic steps and more about whether she can sell the connection the panel says she will need.
Shirley and the next routines
Shirley’s note that they “showed promise” keeps the door open, but James’s view is sharper: the dance has to look softer, looser and less guarded if it is going to keep pace with the voting and scoring pressure around Movie Week. Dyer’s problem is not ability, it is release; if that changes, the pair can build on the 23 and make the chemistry argument work for them rather than against them.
