Strictly Come Dancing 2010

[JustJodi]

I have been gone all evening and did not see the results,, good I am glad trout mouth left,, bring on next week :-)

[Perdita]

Her dancing style has been compared to everything from the Ark Royal to haemorrhoids, but that hasn't stopped the British public from falling in love with Ann Widdecombe. She has helped send the Strictly ratings through the roof and is part of a comedy double act with Anton Du Beke that is keeping the nation glued to their screens every Saturday night. We caught up with Ann at BBC Television Centre to find out the secrets behind the success of the Widdy phenomenon.

You keep denying it Ann, but it does look like you have started to lose some weight...
"No, I haven't. The thing is that people only see me on television and I look 20lbs heavier on television. All my life, every time I have walked into a room, people say, 'Ooh you look so much smaller than you do on television', 'Ooh, you look so much thinner', even occasionally, 'Ooh you look so much prettier'. Which is quite nice. But I promise you I haven't lost weight. I would be shouting it from the rooftops if I had."

And no fake tan yet either?
"No thanks. That's just nonsense. It's not that I disagree with it, I just think that it's nonsense."

Have you been surprised by how much viewers have taken to you?
"I wasn't expecting the extent of it. I thought I might be moderately popular because I am of course the pantomime act and people usually like pantomime acts. But the degree with which it has taken off, I never expected that. And of course, I like it. I've had over 20 years of people not liking me, so of course I like it."

It takes a lot of guts to be the pantomime act...
"It doesn't at all. It just takes a sense of humour, that's all. And Anton has got one. If I was with someone who didn't have a sense of humour, it would have gone terribly. We'd have gone in week one, because we simply wouldn't have got on. I've got a sense of humour and he's got a sense of humour. It was pairing genius on the part of the BBC. I didn't think I'd get him because he's a foot taller than me, but that's part of the humour."

Have you had any male interest since taking part in the show?
"Certainly not!"

We've heard that you have a few admirers. Does that make you uncomfortable?
"It doesn't make me uncomfortable. Of course it doesn't. I just can't take it seriously."

Do you ever regret not settling down with a partner?
"I don't regret not getting married. Ever since time began, there's been an uneven amount of males and females on this earth. And some people do not marry. And why we are treated as objects of wonder, I do not know!"

Do you never get lonely?
"The precise opposite. My best days on the Moors are when I'm on my own and I don't see another human being all day. I like being alone. I'm not a hermit or anti-social. I just like being alone."

So you aren't looking for a romance now that you've retired from politics?
"Oh what a silly question! I want a nice peaceful retirement. And whatever love is, it ain't peaceful."

You've got the backing of David Cameron. Have you got any other famous fans?
"The only unusual one is a rapper in the United States. [*speaking to PR*] What's he called? 50 Cent? Yes, 50 Cent got it totally wrong because he called me the Susan Boyle of dance. But of course, Susan Boyle can sing. I can't dance. So he's got that all wrong."

Did you know who 50 Cent was?
"Of course not! While I've been doing this I keep getting asked about things like X Factor. What do I think of this person, etc. But I have never seen a single programme about X Factor ever. And I have to say, before I did Strictly, the only time that I had really watched it was when Aled Jones was on it. I used to watch him every week."

Can we ask about costumes, and in particular the yellow outfit you wore last week...
"What happened last week was a straight forward malfunction. Thank heavens for the leggings. If I'd thought that was going to happen, I would have taken precautionary measures. But what I've said now is that it is trousers all the way. It's not something that I want to happen every week, and because I am being spun and dragged quite vigorously every week, I'm being extra careful."

How are you coping with a dance like the rumba that is traditionally quite raunchy?
"It's the dance of love, not the dance of fornication. Love can be tender, endearing, gentle. It doesn't have to be what it has come to be on Strictly."

Do you think Strictly has got too sexy in recent years?
"Bluntly - yes. But that's for the people involved, not for me... I feel that it is a family programme and everyone should remember that. That's all."

What do you think when you see the pro girls walking around in next to nothing?
"It doesn't make me feel anything. Their dance is their dance. My dance is my dance. My costume is my costume and their costume is their costume. I have asked them if they are feeling cold. That's as far as I take it. I can only be responsible for what I do and, to a lesser extent, Anton. I don't have to avert my eyes, I've been on a beach occasionally. I know what people look like."

What's wrong with showing a bit of leg though? You look like you have nice legs...
"Thank you. I might have decent lots of things, but it doesn't mean that I want to put them on display."

Do you seriously think you could win the show?
"It's entirely down to the viewers. I think I should be there for as long as the viewers keep me there. When the viewers decide that they've had enough, then I'll go. That could be this weekend, it could be in the final."

It is a dancing competition, so do you think it would be fair for you to win?
"I've spent 23 years saying, 'Let the voters decide'. If we won this, then it will be down to the viewers. What is right or wrong is down to the viewers. The BBC has put on this programme and right from day one has chosen unequally matched dancers. If it was a dancing competition and nothing more, you wouldn't put together Ann Widdecombe and Kara Tointon. That is like taking an A-Level student and someone from kindergarten and saying, 'Let's see who writes the best essay'. They wouldn't do the show like that if it was just a dance competition."

Would you not be embarrassed to beat Kara?
"I'm never embarrassed by the voters. The voters will decide."

Will you be heading out on the Strictly tour?
"I'm not convinced yet. I'm not sure about the commitment. I'm sure if I win, I would consider it. And I am at the moment considering it. That is all that I can say."

Have you thought about what you would perform in the final if you get there?
"Anton has for some time been putting together plans for our showdance if we happen to reach the final. I don't think I'm giving too much away if I say that I shall fly. But, nevertheless, I must stress that there are still four more eliminations between now and then."

How do you think Craig would react if you got to the final?
"Craig in private is very different to his public persona. I think he thinks it's quite funny, what's going on. But if he was to judge me in the final, I think you'll never have heard such scathing, caustic comments. I'm already thinking up my retaliation!"

John Sergeant was criticised for not learning anything on Strictly. Do you think you've learnt anything?
"Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Today I went to The Sun newspaper and did some dancing with them on the newsroom floor. I couldn't have done that if I hadn't learnt to dance. And if you had told me at the start of the competition that I was going to fly with my head 17ft above the floor, I wouldn't have believed a word of it. And if you'd said, 'You will be dropped on the floor after a very fast spin', I would have laughed."

[Tuareet]

Oh no please!! Ann Widdecombe cannot win Strictly Come Dancing, I don't find her the slightest bit funny and feel sorry for Anton who seems to be running out of ideas as to what to do with her!

[Katy]

really good show tonight. Pamela is just fab

[Chloe O'brien]

really good show tonight. Pamela is just fab

She was brilliant tonight. Pam and James are wonderful together. I hope her or Matt win.

[alan45]

Ann Widdecombe becomes the latest to be voted off Strictly

[Katy]

right decision i think, the time had come i think bit fiar play to the woman, she entertained me for 10 weeks.

[Perdita]

Take That have been confirmed as the special guests for next weekend's Strictly Come Dancing semi-final.

The fully reunited boyband will play their latest single 'The Flood' and classic '90s hit 'Never Forget' on the BBC One reality show.

Strictly airs over three shows next weekend and it kicks off on Friday at 9pm on BBC One.

Gavin Henson, Scott Maslen, Matt Baker, Kara Tointon and Pamela Stephenson are the final five celebrities battling it on the dancefloor.

[Tuareet]

Thank goodness Ann has gone, it would have been a travesty if Scott had gone instead of her.

I wonder how she will get on with Craig when they dance together during the tour!

[Perdita]

Gavin Henson and Scott Maslen have just missed out on a place in the Strictly Come Dancing final after falling victim to a double elimination.

After Pamela Stephenson and Kara Tointon were first declared safe, this week's eliminees waited with Countryfile host Matt Baker to discover which of them would join the girls in the final.

Finally, host Tess Daly confirmed that Henson and his partner Katya Virshilas had finished last in the public vote, to which the Welsh rugby star smiled knowingly.

When quizzed about his Strictly experience by Bruce Forysth, Henson spoke of his delight at having overcome his initial struggles from the beginning of the competition.

"Katya's been amazing, she's been perfect for me... I've come in here with two left feet, it's been so stressful for me," he said.

Virshilas also teased Henson's early lack of ability, joking: "He taught me patience. It was one of the best experiences ever, I couldn't have asked for a better partner than him."

With Henson gone, Daly and Forsyth put the remaining men out of their misery by announcing that Baker had been voted through to the final, thereby eliminating Maslen from the competition.

"It's been the best experience I've had in maybe my life," the Eastenders actor gushed upon hearing the news. "To tackle something you've got no skill set in, it's a challenge and to do it live it's a bigger challenge."

Maslen then praised his "spectacular" partner Natalie Lowe, adding that he had developed a love of dancing through his time on the programme.

"When it works, when you're moving, you feel it. What I've learnt with dance, is when it does work it's in your body and you know it's right, and we've had a few of those moments. We've had some good moments."

Both eliminated acts received a standing ovation from the judges and the studio audience as they took to the floor for their final dance.

The three surviving celebrities - Pamela Stephenson, Kara Tointon and Matt Baker - will do battle in the Strictly Come Dancing final next Saturday at 7pm on BBC One.